MW Betting scandals are spreading to college sports. Here's what it cost three basketball players banned by the NCAA.

By Weston Blasi

Why we can expect to see more college athletes breaking sports-betting rules in the future

Multiple athletes have been caught up in a probe of college basketball players accused of manipulating their performance to win sports bets.

In recent years, professional athletes have been penalized for betting on sports - and even on their own games. Now college athletes are getting caught doing it, as well.

Earlier this week, the NCAA banned three men's college basketball players - Fresno State's Mykell Robinson and Jalen Weaver and San Jose State's Steven Vasquez - for sports betting. The players allegedly wagered on their own games, shared information and manipulated their performances to ensure certain bets were won, according to the NCAA.

All three players were kicked off their teams and are also no longer enrolled at their colleges.

The NCAA said it began an investigation after being notified by Fresno State and being informed about suspicious betting activity by industry sources. Robinson and Vasquez were roommates at Fresno State during the 2023-24 season before Vasquez transferred to San Jose State.

Several wagers were outlined by the NCAA in the probe, among them three bets placed on Robinson's performance during a Jan. 7 game between Fresno and Colorado State. The wagers, which were for several of Robinson's statistical categories to go under projections, were a $200 bet to win $1,450; an $800 bet to win $5,800; and a $1,200 bet to win $8,700.

The probe also claimed Robinson placed 13 daily fantasy over-under prop bets totaling $454 on parlays last season that included his own performance. He also placed bets on Weaver before a December 2024 game, when he and Weaver exchanged information about their respective betting lines. Weaver also placed a $50 prop bet on a parlay for himself, Robinson and a third athlete and won $260.

The NCAA also announced Thursday that a separate probe found that another 13 men's basketball players may have violated gambling rules. Violations by the 13 former athletes across six schools were substantiated "in some cases, via text messages, direct messages on social media platforms and other material evidence," according to the NCAA. The athletes were not named in the announcement.

Allegations include "student-athletes betting on and against their own teams, sharing information with third parties for purposes of sports betting, knowingly manipulating scoring or game outcomes and/or refusing to participate in the enforcement staff's investigation."

The NCAA, San Jose State, Robinson, Weaver and Vasquez did not respond to MarketWatch's request for comment. Fresno State's athletic department released the following statement to MarketWatch:

"Fresno State holds itself to the highest standards of integrity, character and sportsmanship, and has an unwavering commitment to compliance with all NCAA and conference rules. The University proactively shared reported information concerning sports wagering activity with the NCAA and worked collaboratively with the NCAA staff throughout the investigation. While the eligibility consequences for the former student-athletes are significant, the case ultimately resulted in a Level III/Secondary violation and no sanctions for the institution. The University continues to have confidence in the Fresno State Athletics' culture and is grateful to conclude this matter."

Related: NBA to investigate alleged $28 million payment to Kawhi Leonard. Here's what the punishment could be.

While sports betting is legal in 40 U.S. states and in Washington, D.C., per NCAA rules college athletes are not permitted to wager on any sport, amateur or professional (with some exceptions). For years, many sports economics experts concerned about the dangers of sports betting have warned that college athletes - who, despite the rise of name, image and likeness, or NIL, deals, make considerably less money than professional athletes - would be most at risk of violating betting rules.

'When you look at the sports where the athletes make either nothing or like $80,000 a year, there's much more incentive for them to be talking to gambling rings.' Andrew Zimbalist, professor emeritus of economics at Smith College

Andrew Zimbalist, professor emeritus of economics at Smith College and a leading expert on the economics of sports, told MarketWatch that sports-betting scandals among athletes are likely to continue.

"Particularly when you move away from the top pro sports, when you look at the sports where the athletes make either nothing or like $80,000 a year, there's much more incentive for them to be talking to gambling rings," Zimbalist said.

"The opportunity to go to an athlete who is paid nothing or not paid not much and get them to be attracted to your offer is much higher," he added, suggesting that lower-paid athletes are the most susceptible to falling prey to betting-related scandals.

Since the federal ban on sports betting was lifted in 2018, over $543 billion has been legally wagered in U.S. sportsbooks, according to public data compiled by Legal Sports Report.

At the same time, possible sports-betting infractions seem to pop up every few months. There have been investigations surrounding NFL players Calvin Ridley and Jameson Williams, NBA players Terry Rozier and Malik Beasley, and MLB MVP Shohei Ohtani.

The NCAA probes suggest that betting infractions are now becoming a problem among college athletes, as well.

It can be difficult for fans to keep track of these incidents, particularly because each league or organization has its own set of rules for athletes and sports betting. Several pro athletes even have personal endorsement deals with sportsbooks. For example, the L.A. Lakers' LeBron James appears in ads for DraftKings $(DKNG)$, and although NBA players may not bet on basketball games, the company runs promotions where James picks outcomes of NFL games. The Houston Rockets' Kevin Durant has a similar arrangement with FanDuel $(FLUT)$. Sponsorships like these would have been unthinkable a decade ago.

While gambling violations among athletes are likely to continue, sports leagues and sportsbooks have countered that the legalization of sports betting has actually made it easier to expose potential rule violators.

"One of the many benefits of legal and regulated sports betting is that sports-betting operators identify and report suspicious activity, and the integrity of sport is therefore protected in a manner that does not exist in the illegal market," DraftKings said in a statement last year about athlete infractions.

Read on: The FIFA World Cup ticket presale is live. What to know about dynamic pricing, lotteries and sale dates while trying to score seats.

-Weston Blasi

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September 12, 2025 12:26 ET (16:26 GMT)

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