Sports Betting and Match‑Fixing

A federal judge in Brooklyn has sentenced Timothy McCormack to two years in prison, the first prison term arising from the wide‑ranging NBA‑linked betting and poker‑cheating scandal unveiled last fall. Prosecutors say McCormack defrauded sports‑betting platforms by using non‑public information about NBA players allegedly in on the scheme to place highly profitable wagers, while court filings describe a parallel operation in which conspirators used altered card‑shuffling machines, electronic chip‑tray analyzers, invisible card markings and special contact lenses to rig high‑stakes poker games. U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Joseph Nocella Jr. has called it 'one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since online sports betting became widely legalized in the United States,' and the investigation has already ensnared former NBA figures Terry Rozier, Chauncey Billups and Damon Jones, who prosecutors say were used as celebrity draws for the fixed games. At sentencing, McCormack told the court he has struggled with gambling addiction for more than half his life, and Judge DeArcy Hall acknowledged the addiction while stressing that the conduct was serious enough to warrant prison time. The case underscores mounting concern in Washington and on Wall Street that legalized sports betting and high‑tech gambling equipment are creating new avenues for corruption that could undermine public confidence in professional leagues and wagering markets.

Federal prosecutors have charged 26 people with allegedly rigging outcomes of NCAA and Chinese basketball games, a multi‑defendant case that underscores how match‑fixing and betting schemes are targeting both U.S. college sports and overseas leagues. According to the PBS wrap, the indictments accuse the group of manipulating results for gambling profit, though details of specific teams and games were not given in this short segment. The case lands as legalized sports betting has exploded across U.S. states, fueling concern among regulators and integrity monitors that college athletes are particularly vulnerable to illicit approaches. Prosecutors’ willingness to bring such a large conspiracy case signals that the Justice Department is treating international and collegiate game‑fixing as a serious criminal and integrity threat to American sports.