Sports Betting Scandals: The Biggest Cases From the Black Sox to 2026
The biggest sports betting scandals in American history run from the 1919 Black Sox to the federal cases now in court. As of November 12, 2026, two Cleveland Guardians pitchers are on trial in Brooklyn over allegedly rigged pitches, and former NBA players have agreed to plead guilty in a prop-betting case.
This page covers the major cases in order, what each person was accused of, and how each one ended. Where a case is still open, we say so. A charge is an allegation, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless convicted.
Sports betting scandals timeline
| Year | Scandal | Sport | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1919 | Black Sox | MLB | Eight White Sox players banned for life |
| 1951 | CCNY point shaving | College basketball | More than 30 players at seven schools implicated |
| 1963 | Hornung and Karras | NFL | Both suspended for the season for betting on games |
| 1978-79 | Boston College point shaving | College basketball | Player Rick Kuhn sent to prison |
| 1989 | Pete Rose | MLB | Permanent ban; removed from the ineligible list in 2025 |
| 2007 | Tim Donaghy | NBA | Referee pleaded guilty, 15-month sentence |
| 2022 | Calvin Ridley | NFL | Suspended for the 2022 season |
| 2024 | Ippei Mizuhara | MLB | Interpreter sentenced to 57 months |
| 2024 | Jontay Porter | NBA | Banned for life, pleaded guilty |
| 2025 | NBA arrests (Rozier, Billups, Jones) | NBA | Jones pleaded guilty; Rozier and Billups deny charges |
| 2025 | Clase and Ortiz | MLB | On trial as of November 2026; both deny charges |
| 2026 | College point shaving indictment | College basketball | 26 charged; case open |
| 2026 | Beasley and Davis | NBA | Both have agreed or signaled they will plead guilty |
The early scandals: Black Sox, CCNY and the NFL in 1963
Eight Chicago White Sox players were accused of throwing the 1919 World Series to the Cincinnati Reds for gamblers' money. A Chicago grand jury indicted them in 1920. A jury acquitted them in 1921, and Commissioner Kenesaw Mountain Landis banned all eight for life anyway.
In 1951, a point-shaving investigation that began with City College of New York spread to seven schools. Bleacher Report puts the number of active and former players implicated at 35. It is still the largest point-shaving case in college basketball.
In 1963, NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle suspended Packers star Paul Hornung and Lions tackle Alex Karras for the season for betting on NFL games. Neither was accused of fixing a game. Both were reinstated in 1964.
Pete Rose and Tim Donaghy
Pete Rose, baseball's all-time hits leader, accepted a permanent ban in 1989. An investigation for MLB by lawyer John Dowd found he bet on the Reds to win from 1985 to 1987 while playing for and managing the team, per the Associated Press.
Rose denied betting on baseball for years and admitted it in 2004. He died in September 2024. In May 2025, MLB ruled that permanent bans end at death, which removed Rose and the Black Sox players from the ineligible list.
NBA referee Tim Donaghy pleaded guilty in 2007 to federal charges tied to betting on games he officiated and passing inside information to gamblers. He was sentenced to 15 months in prison.
After 2018: legal betting and a new kind of case
In May 2018, the Supreme Court struck down the federal law that had barred sports betting in most states. Legal sportsbooks spread quickly, and so did prop bets on individual players. The cases since then look different from the old ones.
Calvin Ridley (2022)
The NFL suspended receiver Calvin Ridley for the entire 2022 season for betting on NFL games in 2021 while he was away from the Falcons. The league said it found no evidence that inside information was used or that any game was compromised.
Ippei Mizuhara (2024)
Shohei Ohtani's interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, stole nearly $17 million from Ohtani to cover bets with an illegal bookmaker. He pleaded guilty to bank fraud and tax charges and was sentenced to 57 months in prison in February 2025. Prosecutors described Ohtani as a victim.
Jontay Porter (2024)
The NBA banned Raptors forward Jontay Porter for life in April 2024. The league found he gave confidential information to bettors, limited his own play for betting purposes and bet on NBA games, per the Associated Press.
Porter pleaded guilty to a federal wire fraud conspiracy charge in July 2024. He told the court he left games early to clear gambling debts so that bets on his unders would win.
The cases in court right now
The NBA arrests: Rozier, Billups and Jones
On October 23, 2025, federal prosecutors announced two indictments and more than 30 arrests. Heat guard Terry Rozier was charged in a sports betting case. Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups was charged in a separate case about rigged poker games, not betting on NBA games.
Rozier has pleaded not guilty, and his attorneys say he is innocent. A May 2026 superseding indictment accused him of taking a $100,000 bribe to alter his performance. His trial is scheduled for February 8, 2027, per Yardbarker and Finurah.
Billups has pleaded not guilty and his attorneys maintain his innocence. His trial was moved to March 8, 2027, per Yahoo Sports. Former player Damon Jones, charged in both cases, pleaded guilty.
Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz
Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were indicted in November 2025 on charges that they threw specific pitches on purpose so bettors could win prop bets. Their trial began November 2, 2026, in federal court in Brooklyn, per ESPN.
Prosecutors say bettors won about $450,000. They have identified 18 pitches in 17 games for trial. Both pitchers deny the charges, and their lawyers argue the pitches were ordinary baseball. The trial was still under way when we published.
College basketball point shaving
On January 15, 2026, federal prosecutors in Philadelphia charged 26 people in an alleged point-shaving scheme. The indictment says more than 39 players on more than 17 Division I teams fixed or tried to fix more than 29 games, per the Department of Justice.
Prosecutors say fixers offered players $10,000 to $30,000 a game to make sure their team failed to cover the spread. The scheme allegedly started with games in the Chinese Basketball Association in 2022.
Malik Beasley and Ed Davis
Former NBA guard Malik Beasley was indicted in June 2026 over an alleged scheme to manipulate his stats in at least four games in the 2023-24 season. His attorney said in October that he has agreed to plead guilty. A plea hearing is set for December 9.
Former player Ed Davis, accused of running the scheme, signaled on November 6, 2026, that he will also change his plea to guilty, per ESPN.
What the scandals mean for bettors
- Props are the weak point. One player can control his own rebounds or a first pitch. He cannot easily control who wins.
- Detection has improved. Porter, Clase and Beasley all came to light after sportsbooks flagged unusual betting.
- Leagues are responding. In November 2025, MLB and its sportsbook partners capped bets on individual pitches at $200 and removed them from parlays.
- Sides and totals on major games are the hardest markets to corrupt, because they are the largest and most closely watched.
That last point is part of why we handicap sides and totals first. Our guide on prop bets explains how those markets work, and why sportsbooks limit winning bettors covers how books watch for unusual action.
Our free plays are on the free picks page.