26 charged in latest basketball gambling scandal

The indictment, filed in Philadelphia, includes bribery charges, and relates to nearly 30 games in which conspirators allegedly placed huge bets on the scores of contests after paying players to underperform.

"We allege an extensive international criminal conspiracy of... players, alumni and professional bettors who fixed games across the country and poisoned the American spirit of competition for monetary gain," said federal prosecutor David Metcalf.

"This was a massive scheme. It enveloped the world of college basketball," he told a press conference.

It is the latest scandal to rock the world of U.S. sports, after two sprawling federal investigations resulted in the arrest of an NBA coach and player in October.

The indictment unveiled Thursday says an illegal sports gambling network originated in China in or about September 2022.

Former NBA Chicago Bulls player Antonio Blakeney -- who is named but not charged in the latest indictment -- is alleged to have been recruited by conspirators to influence the outcomes of games in the Chinese Basketball Association league, where he was playing for the Jiangsu Dragons.

A package containing nearly $200,000 in cash was allegedly left in Blakeney's storage unit in Florida at the end of the CBA 2022-23 season.

"Because it proved profitable, they decided to take their operation Stateside to the world of NCAA Division I men's basketball," said Metcalf, referring to the hugely popular U.S. college league.

Defendants allegedly then offered more than 39 U.S. college players bribes of up to $30,000 per game, and made wagers totaling millions of dollars.

More than a dozen of the defendants have played college basketball within the past three years.

Former NBA player Blakeney is "charged elsewhere," according to the indictment.

If convicted on the bribery charges, defendants could face up to five years in prison.

Sports wagering in most U.S. states was illegal until 2018, but leagues have since rushed to get in on the multi-billion dollar bonanza of legalized betting.

The NBA last year said it is reviewing league policies to ensure players know gambling's "dire risks".