FRANCES NGANNOU HAS PLACED A BET ON CAMEROON LIFTING THE AFCON TITLE

Francis N'gannou has placed a €320,000 (FCFA 9,999,999.20) bet for Cameroon 🇨🇲 to win the AFCON 2025.

NCAA WON’T ALLOW ATHLETES OR ATHETICS DEPARTMENT STAFF TO BET ON PRO SPORTS AMID GAMBLING SCANDALS

NCAA athletes and athletic department staff will not be allowed to bet on professional sports after the organization’s membership voted Friday to rescind a rule change that would have permitted those bets. 

The move follows a string of high-profile gambling cases that have raised questions about the integrity of competition in college and pro sports. In late October, an NBA coach and player were arrested in a takedown of two sprawling gambling operations, and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was accused of exploiting private information about players to win bets on NBA games. 

The NCAA announced two weeks ago that it was revoking the eligibility of six men’s basketball players over allegations of sports betting. And on Friday, the NCAA said former Temple guard Hysier Miller placed dozens of bets on Owls games, including some against his team. 

The rule change to allow gambling on pro sports would have taken effect on Nov. 1, but under a rarely used rule, each Division I school was given 30 days to vote to rescind the proposal, since it was adopted by less than 75% of the DI cabinet. 

More than two-thirds of DI members needed to vote to stop the rule change, and that number was reached on Friday. The 30-day period would have ended Saturday.

Even if the rule had passed, athletes and athletic department staff would have continued to be banned from any betting on NCAA events. 

The vote by DI members also applies to Divisions II and III, which had also been poised to allow gambling on pro sports. Such bets will continue to be banned at all three levels. 

Late last month, Southeastern Conference Commissioner Greg Sankey sent a note to NCAA President Charlie Baker expressing concerns about the rule change. The two members of the DI cabinet from the SEC had voted in favor of allowing pro sports betting. 

NCAA enforcement caseloads involving sports betting violations have increased in recent years. There are at least another dozen cases currently being investigated. 

- Doug Fenberg

FBI PRESS CONFERENCE ON ALLEGED ILLEGAL GAMBLING

 

CHAUNCEY BILLUPS ARRESTED IN MAFIA LINKED BETTING PROBE: WHERE IT RANKS AMONG GREATEST SPORTS SCANDALS

Credit: John Hefti-Imagn Images

In what could turn out to be one of the biggest scandals in sports history, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups has reportedly been arrested in relation to a federal sports betting probe.

Early on Thursday morning, reports emerged that Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was picked up by federal officials regarding his involvement in illegal sports betting on NBA games. The investigation has been going on since the summer, and Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley was linked to the inquiry until authorities revealed he was no longer part of the investigation.

However, soon after the news about Rozier’s arrest came a bombshell. Current Trail Blazers head coach Chauncy Billups has also been arrested over allegations of illegal bets on NBA games. Interestingly enough, ABC News is reporting that his arrest is connected with a separate FBI investigation, and this one actually has worrisome links to the mafia.

That is the only information that has been leaked regarding his arrest. However, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn, New York, and FBI Director Kash Patel are scheduled to hold a press conference to unveil further information on the case.

The five-time NBA All-Star and one-time champion is obviously innocent until proven guilty. However, if a court does find wrongdoing, it will be one of the biggest sports scandals of all time. But where does it rank among the most egregious in sports history?

Where does Chauncey Billups’ arrest rank among the greatest sports scandals?

Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images

Obviously, the worst of the worst is the 1919 “Black Sox” scandal when eight Chicago White Sox players purposely threw games during that year’s World Series. Pete Rose is the greatest pure hitter in MLB history, but he was banned for life — until this year — after it was found he had bet on games he was involved in as manager of the Cincinnati Reds.

After winning shockingly winning the 2006 Tour de France, former Lance Armstrong teammate Floyd Landis was found to have been doping his way to the championship. In hindsight, it wasn’t too surprising since Armstrong also doped himself into becoming a cycling legend.

Arguably, the worst in NBA history was when a federal investigation found that veteran referee Tim Donaghy used his influence on games to alter scores for illegal sports betting purposes.

Pro athletes being involved in illegal betting is only shocking because they don’t need to, since the majority of them are millionaires. While Donaghy’s offenses were stunning, it does make sense because referees aren’t wealthy, and they can have such a huge but hard-to-notice influence on games. Billups, who made around $100 million during his career and is paid well now, being involved really is bewildering.

More information will be revealed soon, but if the NBA coach was involved in a scenario to alter games, and it was connected to organized crime, it would be a top-five scandal in sports history.

- JASON BURGOS

BLAZERS HEAD COACH CHAUNCEY BILLUPS ARRESTED BY FBI

 

DRAKE PLACES A US$300,000 BET ON JANIK SINNER TO WIN THE U.S. OPEN

Drake sits courtside at a Toronto Raptors game (left); Jannik Sinner during the third round of the U.S. Open tennis championships (left). (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

NEW YORK — Drake is betting big on Jannik Sinner, wagering US$300,000 on the top-ranked men’s tennis player in the world to win the U.S. Open.

The rapper known for placing big bets on sporting events — and often losing them — posted on social media the screenshot of a betting slip from Tuesday afternoon. The six-figure gamble pays $507,000 if Sinner captures his fifth major championship and second at the U.S. Open.

The so-called Drake Curse has been blamed for several losses over the past few years, including $210,000 on American Taylor Fritz to beat Sinner in the 2024. U.S. Open final. According to a website tracking Drake’s announced bets and the curse, he is down $115,000 on tennis after cutting his losses by successfully picking Sinner to win the Australian Open final in January.

Sinner is in the quarterfinals after routing Alexander Bublik in their fourth-round match. The 24-year-old next faces fellow Italian Lorenzo Musetti and is the betting favorite on BetMGM Sportsbook.

- The Associated Press

IGA SWIATEK MAKES HER FEELINGS KNOWN ABOUT GAMBLING IN TENNIS AND HOW IT "IMPACTS" PLAYERS

Iga Swiatek gives thoughts on gamblers' impact on tennis pros | Image Source: Getty

Iga Swiatek recently discussed the overlap between tennis and gambling ahead of her title defense at the 2025 BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells. The Pole believes that some fans who bet on matches unjustly take out their grievances on the players. She also talked about the various measures that should be taken to protect the pros in such instances.

Swiatek has had a respectable season on the WTA Tour this year despite some heartbreaking losses, including semifinal exits at the Australian Open and the Qatar Open. The World No. 2, who won the Indian Wells title in 2022 and 2024, will be eager to record her first triumph since the 2024 French Open later this fortnight.

During her pre-tournament press conference at the WTA 1000 tournament on Wednesday, March 5, Iga Swiatek fielded questions on how gambling companies have become one of the biggest tennis sponsors over the last few years. When asked whether it was a "positive" for the sport, the 23-year-old gave an in-depth answer detailing the impact that gambling has on the players.

"There's no point to think if it's good or bad, because it's always going to be there since it's big business," Iga Swiatek told the media in Indian Wells on Wednesday. "I think, for sure, the thing that we as players feel is the negative comments and hate, because people are sometimes losing money because we lose or because we win. So, this is what impacts us. For sure I feel like it's not positive, and not good at all."

Swiatek then touched upon gamblers' tendency to send abusive messages to the pros on social media.

"Hate is going to be out there on the Internet anyway. There are ways to stop it with like algorithms and the apps that are blocking it a little bit," she added. "But, you know, people put out on the Internet whatever they want, because it's easy, you know. So this is the part I would say that hits us."

For those unaware, the famous betting company, Stake, became a sponsor of the Davis Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup - two of the biggest annual team events in tennis - in 2024.

Iga Swiatek to renew rivalry with Caroline Garcia in second-round match at Indian Wells 2025

Iga Swiatek is defending her 2024 Indian Wells title this fortnight | Image Source: Getty
 

Iga Swiatek will begin her 2025 BNP Paribas Open campaign against former World No. 4 Caroline Garcia. The Pole, seeded second at the 1000-level event, received a first-round Bye and will be well-rested for her battle with the Frenchwoman.

The two-time Indian Wells champion leads her lower-ranked opponent by a margin of 4-1 in their head-to-head meetings on the WTA Tour. The 23-year-old has won all four of their hardcourt encounters, with her most recent win against the World No. 71 coming at last year's United Cup.

- Rudra Biswas

 

 

EAGLES, CHIEFS SUPER BOWL FAVOURITES; SPORTS BOOKS SMILING AFTER LION'S LOSS

A lone Detroit Lions fan reacts to the stunning 45-31 loss to the Washington Commanders in the NFC divisional round NFL playoff game at Ford Field in Detroit on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025.

Sportsbooks took a partial victory lap following the elimination of the Detroit Lions, Super Bowl favorites entering the divisional playoff with the highest handle and ticket percentage for most major operators in that futures market.

The Lions were bounced from the NFC field by the Washington Commanders, who were a 10-point underdog by kickoff on Saturday night. Money shifted to Washington as the number grew ahead of the game and it paid off in a 45-31 win. The Commanders had a moneyline of anywhere between +376 to +430 and wound up in their first NFC Championship game since 1991.

"The Lions losing was a great result for the futures market at BetMGM. On top of knocking our biggest liability out of the running, the Commanders win also ruined the popular chalk money line parlay of Lions, Chiefs, and Ohio State," Christian Cipollini, BetMGM trading manager, said Monday.

After wins at Tampa Bay and Detroit, the Commanders are ticketed for a third road game this weekend and their third matchup this season with NFC East division rival Philadelphia. The Eagles and Commanders split two entertaining games in the regular season.

FanDuel lists the Eagles as 5.5-point favorites Monday and the Commanders are fourth of the remaining four teams in the Super Bowl futures odds market. Kansas City is a 1.5-point favorite over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship at ESPN Bet and Fan Duel.

BetMGM moved the Eagles from +400 to win the Super Bowl last week to current +180 odds, overtaking the Lions as the favorite.

The Chiefs went from +350 last week to +240, narrowly ahead of the Bills. Buffalo went from +400 to +250 and the Commanders moved from +3000 at kickoff of the Lions' game to +700 at BetMGM. FanDuel lists Washington at +750, the Eagles as the favorite at +180 and Kansas City (+220) ahead of the Bills (+250).

The most popular exact result Super Bowl matchup on the board at FanDuel and Draft Kings is the Chiefs beating the Eagles (+380), just ahead of the Eagles beating the Chiefs (+410).

Like Washington to keep it rolling? Consider the Commanders to beat the Chiefs (+1300) or Bills (+1600) at Fan Duel.

Washington rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels is +700 in the Super Bowl MVP futures market, fifth behind Eagles running back Saquon Barkley (+550) and quarterback Jalen Hurts (+400) and co-favorites Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (+280) at Draft Kings.

- Field Level Media

MIKE TYSON SUED IN LONDON FOR DITCHING PROMOTION DEAL TO FIGHT JAKE PAUL

 

Jake Paul bows down to Mike Tyson during their fight. Kevin Jairaj, Imagn Images

Mike Tyson is being sued in a London court for nearly 1.5 million euros ($1.59 million) for allegedly breaking a deal to promote a gambling company in order to fight social media influencer-turned-prizefighter Jake Paul.

Medier, a Cyprus-registered company that promotes online casino and betting company Rabona, is suing the former heavyweight champion and his company Tyrannic for allegedly reneging on the deal, which was agreed in January.

The lawsuit, filed at London's High Court in October, says Tyson terminated the deal in March – the same day his fight with Paul was announced – because Medier breached their agreement.

Medier's lawyers, however, argue its actions did not constitute a breach of the deal and that Tyson's breach of contract has caused Medier losses of around 1.46 million euros.

"The true reason for Mr Tyson and Tyrannic's hasty and unlawful termination was because Mr Tyson had agreed a deal, sponsored by Netflix, to fight the influencer Jake Paul," the company's lawyer said in documents made public on Friday.

Tyson and Tyrannic have yet to file a defence to the lawsuit and Tyson was not immediately available to comment.

Paul, 27, beat the 58-year-old Tyson by unanimous decision in Texas last month, in a fight streamed live on Netflix that failed to live up to its enormous hype.

- Reuters 

MIKE TYSON-JAKE PAUL WAS MOST HEAVILY WAGED FIGHT IN YEARS

Sarah Stier/Getty Images for Netflix

The Mike Tyson-Jake Paul boxing match set betting records at sportsbooks, becoming the most heavily wagered upon fight in years.

More bets were placed -- and more money wagered -- on Friday night's heavyweight fight in Arlington, Texas, than any other boxing match or MMA fight in sportsbook BetMGM's nearly seven-year history, according to a company spokesperson.

Tyson-Paul attracted four times as much money wagered as any other combat event -- MMA or boxing -- at BetMGM, the sportsbook said Monday in a news release. Tyson-Paul also was the biggest boxing event of the year at the ESPN BET sportsbook.

"[It] was unbelievable for business," John Murray, executive director of the Westgate SuperBook in Las Vegas, told ESPN. "Casino was packed. Bets flying in all day. I was stunned."

Paul, who closed at about -290 as the favorite, won by unanimous decision in a fight that went the full eight rounds. The majority of the bets were on Tyson, a 2-1 underdog, but the largest ones were on Paul, including a $1 million wager placed with Caesars Sportsbook in Michigan.

Craig Mucklow, vice president of trading for Caesars Sportsbook, compared the amount wagered on Tyson-Paul to an NFL Monday night game.

"We knew there would be tremendous interest in the fight, as the betting suggested it was a generational matchup in customer demographics," Mucklow said. "Those old enough to remember a prime Mike Tyson got to live the nostalgia one last time, while those young enough not to know who Iron Mike was were firmly on the Jake Paul side of the counter."

- David Purdum, ESPN Staff Writer

CHINA FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION BANS 43 AFTER CORRUPTION

China's Football Association has banned 43 people for life over allegations of match-fixing and other forms of corruption in the latest effort to weed out deceit in the country's notoriously underperforming team sport.

The official Xinhua News Agency on Tuesday reported that Zhang Xiaopeng, a top police official, attended a news conference at Dalian to release details of a "two-year investigation that uncovered a series of online gambling, match-fixing and bribery cases."

Xinhua said 120 matches in domestic leagues, 128 criminal suspects, and 41 clubs were implicated in the investigation. Of those banned, 38 were players and five were officials working for various clubs.

The Chinese men's national team have failed to reach planned targets and are ranked 87th by FIFA. AP Photo/Hassan Ammar

Former Chinese internationals Jin Jingdao, Guo Tianyu, and Gu Chao were among those to receive life bans from the sport.

Other players and officials were given shortened bans, including foreign players lured to China by the promise of high salaries.

South Korea's Son Jun-ho, who played for China's Shandong Taishan FC, and Ewolo Donovan of Cameroon, who formerly played for Heilongjiang Ice City, were given five-year bans.

Son's activities "seriously violated sports ethics and sportsmanship, causing a significant negative impact on society," according to the federation's statement.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has pledged to make China a football superpower, but the men's teams haven't found much traction. Pledges to build new pitches and hire staff have fallen short as the economy struggles to regain its feet following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Japan trounced China 7-0 last week to open the third round of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. It was China's most lopsided loss against Japan.

China were playing Saudi Arabia at Dalian later Tuesday in their second men's World Cup qualifier in five days.

China still have a shot at reaching the expanded, 48-team World Cup in 2026, hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. But even with the larger field, China still might not make it past the continental qualifying stage.

China have qualified only once for the World Cup. losing all three group games in 2002.

China were No. 87 in the latest FIFA world rankings for men's national teams, just below Curaçao (population 150,000), and just above Equatorial Guinea (1.7 million).

DRAKE HIS BET TO ADESANYA | #UFC305

 

MLB BANS TUCUPITA MARCANO FOR LIFE OF BETTING ON BASEBALL ⚾, FOUR OTHERS GET ONE-YEAR SUSPENSION

AP

 NEW YORK (AP) — San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano was banned from baseball for life for betting on the sport and four others were suspended for one year by Major League Baseball on Tuesday in the game’s biggest gambling scandal in decades.

MLB said Marcano placed 387 baseball bets totaling more than $150,000 in October 2022 and from last July through November with a legal sportsbook. He became the first active player in a century banned for life because of gambling.

Oakland Athletics pitcher Michael Kelly was suspended for one year for betting on baseball while in the minor leagues and three minor leaguers also were banned for one year for betting on big league games: pitchers Jay Groome of San Diego and Andrew Saalfrank of Arizona, and infielder José Rodríguez of Philadelphia. Each of those four players wagered under $1,000. Saalfrank and Rodríguez played previously in the majors.

“The strict enforcement of Major League Baseball’s rules and policies governing gambling conduct is a critical component of upholding our most important priority: protecting the integrity of our games for the fans,” baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement. “The longstanding prohibition against betting on Major League Baseball games by those in the sport has been a bedrock principle for over a century. We have been clear that the privilege of playing in baseball comes with a responsibility to refrain from engaging in certain types of behavior that are legal for other people.”

Marcano is the first active major leaguer banned for life under the sport's gambling provision since New York Giants outfielder Jimmy O'Connell in 1924. Pete Rose, baseball's career hits leader, agreed to a lifetime ban in 1989 after an investigation concluded he bet on Cincinnati Reds games while managing the team.

Major League Rule 21, posted in every clubhouse, states betting on any baseball game in which a player, umpire, league official or team employee has no duty to perform results in a one-year suspension. Betting on a game in which the person has a duty to perform results in a lifetime ban.

Marcano became the second North American athlete banned for gambling in recent months. The NBA gave Toronto's Jontay Porter a lifetime ban in April after concluding he disclosed confidential information to bettors and wagered on games, including on the Raptors to lose.

MLB said it was tipped off in March about the betting activity by a legal sports betting operator. None of the players punished played in any games on which they wagered, and all players denied to MLB they had inside information relevant to their bets or the games they gambled on – testimonies that MLB says align with the data received from the sportsbook.

In its announcement, MLB detailed the bets alleged for each player,

Marcano’s 387 baseball bets included international games and 231 MLB-related wagers for $87,319 between Oct. 16, 2022, and last Nov. 1. Twenty-five of those bets included wagers on Pirates games while he was on the team’s major league roster. Now 24, Marcano, has not played since tearing his right ACL last July 24 and was receiving medical treatment at PNC Park last year.

Marcano bet almost exclusively on the outcomes of games and lost all of his parlay bets involving the Pirates, winning just 4.3% of all of his MLB-related bets.

Marcano made his major league debut on April 1, 2021, and has a .217 average with five homers, 34 RBIs and seven stolen bases in 149 games. He has played in both the infield and outfield.

“While the thorough investigation revealed no evidence of any games being compromised, influenced or manipulated in any way in this case, protecting the integrity of our game is paramount,” the Pirates said in a statement.

The other four players did not bet on games involving their assigned teams.

Kelly placed 10 bets on nine major league games from Oct. 5-17, 2021, while a minor league player assigned to Houston's Triple-A Sugar Land farm team. The bets included wagers on outcomes, over/under on runs and an individual pitcher’s strikeout total. Three of the nine games involved the major league Astros. His wagers totaled $99.22 and resulted in $28.30 of winnings.

Kelly, 31, was 3-2 with a 2.59 ERA in 28 games this season, last pitching on Saturday at Atlanta. The former first-round draft pick appeared in 46 games over the past three seasons.

Groome, a 25-year-old who had been on a minor league injured list since mid-April, placed 32 MLB-related bets from July 22, 2020, through July 24, 2021, including 24 on the Boston Red Sox major league team while he was assigned to Boston's High-A team in Greenville, South Carolina. The sport detailed he wagered $453.74 on 30 MLB games and had a net loss of $433.54, receiving payouts on only two wagers. His betting included parlays.

Rodríguez, 23, has been at Double-A Reading this season. He placed 31 bets on baseball on Sept. 30, 2021, and from June 5 through July 30 in 2022, including 28 on MLB and three on college baseball. The total included seven involving the Chicago White Sox at the time he was assigned to their Double-A team in Birmingham, Alabama. Two of the White Sox bets involved outcomes and the others were on runs scored. He bet $749.09 on baseball, of which $724.09 was on MLB-related bets that included parlays.

Saalfrank, 26, pitched in 21 games for Arizona last year between the regular season and postseason, including three World Series games, and two this year before he was optioned to Triple-A Reno on May 1. He placed 29 baseball bets from Sept. 9 through Oct. 29 in 2021 and on March 9, 2022, including 28 on MLB and one parlay on college baseball. He placed four bets on the big league Diamondbacks while on the injured list of their Low A farm team. His baseball bets totaled $445.87 on baseball, including $444.07 on MLB, and lost $272.64 on MLB bets and $1.80 on the college wager. He won just five of 28 MLB bets, which included outcomes, runs and pitcher strikeouts.

- RONALD BLUM

CANELO ALVAREZ VS. JAIME MUNGUIA | TALE OF THE TAPE

 

RYAN GARCIA BET ON HIMSELF

 

NBA BANS JONTAY PORTER AFTER GAMBLING PROBE SHOWS HE SHARED INFORMATION, BET ON GAMES

The Canadian Press via AP

 Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter was banned for life from the NBA on Wednesday after a league probe found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors and wagered on games, even betting on the Raptors to lose.

Porter is the second person to be banned by Commissioner Adam Silver for violating league rules. The other was now-former Los Angeles Clippers owner Donald Sterling in 2014, shortly after Silver took office.

In making the announcement, Silver called Porter's actions “blatant.”

“There is nothing more important than protecting the integrity of NBA competition for our fans, our teams and everyone associated with our sport, which is why Jontay Porter’s blatant violations of our gaming rules are being met with the most severe punishment,” Silver said.

The investigation started once the league learned from “licensed sports betting operators and an organization that monitors legal betting markets” about unusual gambling patterns surrounding Porter's performance in a game on March 20 against Sacramento. The league determined that Porter gave a bettor information about his own health status prior that game and said that another individual — known to be an NBA bettor — placed an $80,000 bet that Porter would not hit the numbers set for him in parlays through an online sports book. That bet would have won $1.1 million.

Porter took himself out of that game after less than three minutes, claiming illness, none of his stats meeting the totals set in the parlay. The $80,000 bet was frozen and not paid out, the league said, and the NBA started an investigation not long afterward.

“You don't want this for the kid, you don't want this for our team and we don't want this for our league, that's for sure," Raptors President Masai Ujiri said Wednesday in Toronto, speaking shortly before the NBA announced Porter's ban. “My first reaction is obviously surprise, because none of us, I don't think anybody, saw this coming.”

Later, after the NBA revealed the ban, the Raptors said they are "fully supportive of the league’s decision to ban Jontay Porter from the NBA and are grateful for the swift resolution to this investigation. We will continue to cooperate with all ongoing inquiries.”

The league has partnerships and other relationships with more than two dozen gaming companies, many of whom advertise during NBA games in a variety of ways. Silver himself has been a longtime proponent of legal sports wagering, but the league has very strict rules for players and employees regarding betting.

AP

And what Porter was found to have done was in violation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, which states: “Any Player who, directly or indirectly, wagers money or anything of value on any game or event in the Association or in the NBA G League shall, on being charged with such wagering, be given an opportunity to answer such charges after due notice, and the decision of the Commissioner shall be final, binding, and conclusive and unappealable.”

Silver cautioned last week that this move was possible, saying what Porter was accused of represented “cardinal sin” in the NBA. Porter has not commented since the investigation began, and never played for the Raptors again — he was listed as out for all of Toronto's games for the remainder of the season citing personal reasons.

The league also determined that Porter — the brother of Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. — placed at least 13 bets on NBA games using someone else's betting account. The bets ranged from $15 to $22,000; the total wagered was $54,094 and generated a payout of $76,059, or net winnings of $21,965.

Those wagers did not involve any game in which Porter played, the NBA said. But three of the wagers were multi-game parlays, including a bet where Porter — who was not playing in the games involved — wagered on the Raptors to lose. All three of those bets lost.

“While legal sports betting creates transparency that helps identify suspicious or abnormal activity, this matter also raises important issues about the sufficiency of the regulatory framework currently in place, including the types of bets offered on our games and players,” Silver said. "Working closely with all relevant stakeholders across the industry, we will continue to work diligently to safeguard our league and game.”

Porter was on what is called a two-way contract, meaning he could play for both the Raptors and their affiliate in the G League. His salary for this year was around $410,000; had the Raptors signed him to a standard NBA contract next season, as seemed possible, his salary would have exceeded $2 million.

The 24-year-old Porter averaged 4.4 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 26 games, including five starts. He also played in 11 games for Memphis in the 2020-21 season.

ESPN first reported the investigation, which it said surrounded Porter’s performance in games on Jan. 26 and March 20. In both games, Porter played briefly before leaving citing injury or illness. Porter played 4 minutes, 24 seconds against the Los Angeles Clippers in the first of those games, then 2:43 against Sacramento in the second game.

In both of those games, Porter did not come close to hitting the prop-wager lines for points, rebounds and 3-pointers that bettors could play at some sportsbooks. For example, one set of prop wagers for Porter for the Clippers game was set at 5.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists; he finished with no points, three rebounds and one assist. For the Kings game, they were around 7.5 points and 5.5 rebounds; Porter finished that game with no points and two rebounds.

The league said its probe “remains open and may result in further findings,” and that those findings are being shared with federal prosecutors.

- Tim Reynolds 

BASEBALL STAR OHTANI'S EX-INTERPRETER TO MAKE FIRST COURT APPEARANCE

AP Photo 

 The former interpreter for Japanese baseball star Shohei Ohtani is expected to make his first appearance in federal court on Friday on allegations that he stole $16 million from the Los Angeles Dodgers' star.

A 36-page federal criminal complaint and affidavit filed on Thursday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles alleges that Ippei Mizuhara engaged in bank fraud by embezzling the money from an account of Ohtani's that Mizuhara had helped set up.

Prosecutors allege that Mizuhara, 39, sent funds without Ohtani's knowledge to an illegal sports gambling operation - and made clear the baseball star was not suspected of any wrongdoing.

Mizuhara is not expected to enter a plea during Friday's expected court appearance at the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, and is expected to be released on bond, with an arraignment date likely to be set in the coming weeks, federal prosecutors say.

On Thursday, U.S. Attorney E. Martin Estrada stressed there was nothing to suggest wrongdoing by Ohtani, who signed a record $700 million, 10-year contract to join the Dodgers this season as the league's highest-paid player.

"I want to emphasize this point. Mr. Ohtani was a victim in this case. There's no evidence to indicate that Mr. Ohtani authorized the over $16 million in transfers from his account to the bookmakers," Estrada said.

The outcome spared the Dodgers and Major League Baseball a potential scandal of epic proportions, recalling the controversy stirred 35 years ago when Pete Rose was accused of gambling on baseball games, including those of his own team, while he played for and managed the Cincinnati Reds.

Ohtani, 29, whose talents as a slugger and a pitcher have earned him comparisons to Babe Ruth, told reporters at a March 25 press conference that he was a victim of theft by Mizuhara and that he never bet on baseball or knowingly paid a bookmaker.

If convicted on the single count of bank fraud with which he is charged, Mizuhara could face a sentence of up to 30 years in prison.

Mizuhara's attorney, Michael Freedman, told Reuters on Thursday that his client had no comment on the charge.

Starting in late 2021, Mizuhara began gambling with an illegal sports book and losing substantial sums, according to the federal affidavit.

To cover his debts, Mizuhara impersonated Ohtani over the phone to "trick and deceive" bank employees into authorizing wire transfers from Ohtani's account, where the player's baseball salary was deposited, the affidavit said.

- Steve Gorman and Brad Brooks

NCAA PRESIDENT CHARLIE BAKER URGES STATES WITH LEGAL WAGERING TO BAN

AP Photo 

 In the midst of March Madness, the NCAA is pushing for states with legal wagering on sporting events to ban prop bets on college athletes.

“Sports betting issues are on the rise across the country with prop bets continuing to threaten the integrity of competition and leading to student-athletes getting harassed,” NCAA President Charlie Baker said Wednesday in statement posted on social media. "The NCAA has been working with states to deal with these threats and many are responding by banning college prop bets.”

Prop bets — short for proposition bets — allow gamblers to wager on statistics a player will accumulate during a game rather than the final score.

Baker's statement came two days after the NBA confirmed it opened an investigation into unusual betting patterns surrounding props involving Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter. The Raptors said Porter would miss his third consecutive game Wednesday for personal reasons.

Some NBA players and coaches have been outspoken recently about prop bets and how gamblers react when numbers fail to hit. Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton said his social media is filled with complaints and Cleveland Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff revealed he received threats from gamblers last season and reported it to the NBA.

Earlier this month, U.S. Integrity, a company used by many professional sports leagues and college conferences to monitor betting activity, flagged a Temple regular-season men's basketball game for wagering irregularities.

The NCAA men's and women's basketball tournaments are a huge draw for gamblers. The American Gaming Association estimates $2.7 billion will be bet this year on March Madness through legal sportsbooks.

Several states including Colorado, Arizona, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania and Oregon have rules prohibiting prop betting on college athletes that predate the NCAA's recent push. Others such as Illinois, Connecticut and Iowa do not allow college athlete prop bets involving in-state teams.

Kansas, Michigan, Louisiana and Wyoming allow bettors to place prop bets on college athletes regardless of where they play.

The NCAA already has made some progress this year toward eliminating prop bets on college athletes. Gambling regulators in Ohio, Vermont and Maryland have removed prop betting on college athletes online and in sportsbooks. Baker and his staff are reaching out to regulators in other states to encourage similar bans.

The Ohio Casino Control Commission said last month in granting the NCAA’s request that prop bets last year on NCAA athletes with sports gaming operators in the state brought in approximately $104.6 million, which accounted for 1.35% of the total amount wagered. Prop bets on college athletes accounted for about 2.2% of wagers.

Chris Cylke, senior vice president for government relations for the American Gaming Association, said banning legal wagering on college player propositions would drive more bettors to illegal and offshore sportsbooks.

“While it is unclear how this advances our shared goal of reducing athlete harassment, we do know that driving customers to illegal channels will ultimately hinder the ability to monitor for and detect potential suspicious betting behavior,” Cylke said in a statement provided to The Associated Press.

The number of states that now allow some form of sports betting has grown to 38, plus the District of Columbia. Thirty states and the nation’s capital allow online wagering.

Companies that monitor sports betting for irregularities have warned college sports administrators that prop betting on unpaid athletes elevates the potential risk for a scandal because players can more easily influence their own performance than the overall outcome of a game.

The NCAA conducted a survey after last year's basketball tournaments that found 58% of 18- to 22-year-olds are gambling.

Baker has said the proliferation of legal sports gambling has increased stress on college athletes.

“All that chatter about who's playing, who's not playing. Who's sore, who's not sore. What's going on with the team you're playing? What do you think your chances are? Which is just classic chatter, where — in a world where people are betting — takes on a whole new consequence,” Baker said in January before his address to membership at the NCAA convention.

The NCAA has partnered with a data science company called Signify, which also works with the NBA Players Association and WNBA, to identify online threats made to athletes during championship events that are linked to wagering.

“Basically tracks ugly, nasty stuff that’s being directed at people who are participating in their tournaments and we’d use it the same way,” Baker said in January. “And it can shut it down or basically block it. And in some cases even track back to where it came from.”

In October, the NCAA announced it would be advocating for state legislators to update laws to crack down on harassment of athletes, coaches and game officials and bolster integrity protections.

In West Virginia, NCAA officials worked with lawmakers to pass a bill that would allow betting regulators to ban people from wagering in the state online or at sportsbooks who have been found to have harassed players, coaches, or officials online or in person. The bill is awaiting a signature from Gov. Jim Justice.

San Diego State men's basketball coach Brian Dutcher said he is concerned about how all the negative feedback impacts athletes' mental health.

“People complaining about how they’re playing, missing shots, and they just get beat up constantly,” said Dutcher, whose team is playing in Boston in the Sweet 16 this week.

Illinois guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn said he encourages his teammates to ignore the criticism.

“I never really am on social media but in person someone would be like, ‘I’m going to bet the under on you.’ In that moment you can’t say anything,” Gibbs-Lawhorn said. "So I’m just like, ‘OK, good job.’ Like, I don’t know what you want me to say.”

- RALPH D. RUSSO

2024 SWEET 16 NCAA TOURNAMENT BETTING GUIDE | CBS SPORTS

 

OHTANI SAYS HE NEVER BET ON SPORTS, 'SHOCKED' I INTERPRETER STOLE MONEY

 LOS ANGELES -- Shohei Ohtani, intermittently reading off notes for close to 12 minutes from a packed Los Angeles Dodgers interview room Monday afternoon, said he has never gambled on sports and didn't instruct his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, to wire money from his account to pay a bookmaker. Mizuhara "has been stealing money from us and has told lies," Ohtani said while speaking through his new interpreter, Will Ireton, the Dodgers' manager of performance operations.

"On a personal note," Ohtani said, "I'm very sad and shocked that someone who I've trusted has done this."

Ohtani, speaking to more than 70 media members, had notes prepared in Japanese within a black folder that was open in front of him but read from it only occasionally. He did not take follow-up questions. Cameras were not allowed, but Ohtani's comments aired on MLB Network and the Dodgers' flagship station, SportsNet LA.

Several key members of the Dodgers -- including CEO Stan Kasten, chief marketing officer Lon Rosen, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, general manager Brandon Gomes, manager Dave Roberts, utility man Enrique Hernandez and relief pitcher Joe Kelly -- were in attendance while Ohtani spoke.

"I never bet on baseball or any other sports or never have asked somebody to do that on my behalf," Ohtani said through his new interpreter. "I have never went through a bookmaker to bet on sports. Up until a couple of days ago, I didn't know that this was happening."

Mizuhara, who came with Ohtani to the United States more than six years ago and became one of his closest friends, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday in the wake of media inquiries surrounding at least $4.5 million in wire transfers sent from Ohtani's bank account to a Southern California bookmaking operation that is under federal investigation.

Ohtani's camp initially said Ohtani transferred the funds to cover Mizuhara's debt and presented Mizuhara for an interview with ESPN on Tuesday night, during which he laid out the process in detail. The following day, a statement from Berk Brettler LLP, the law firm representing Ohtani in the matter, instead said the two-way star "has been the victim of massive theft." Mizuhara then told ESPN that Ohtani had no knowledge of his debt and that Ohtani had not transferred the money.

The Dodgers were opening their season in South Korea during that time, and Ohtani was ushered out of the clubhouse without addressing the media after the second and final game Thursday night.

Monday marked his first time addressing the matter.

Ohtani said media members reached out to "a representative in my camp inquiring about my potential involvement in this sports betting" last weekend but added that Mizuhara "never revealed to me that there was this media inquiry." Mizuhara initially told ESPN on Tuesday night that after Ohtani agreed to pay the debts, the two-way star logged into his own computer and sent eight or nine transactions, all in increments of $500,000, to a Southern California bookmaker named Mathew Bowyer over the course of several months last year, adding "loan" to the description field.

Ohtani said Monday that "all of this has been a complete lie."

"Ippei has been telling everybody around that he has been communicating with Shohei on this account," Ohtani said. "To my representatives, to the team -- and that hasn't been true."

The first time Ohtani learned about gambling, he said, was when Mizuhara addressed the Dodgers after their opening game in South Korea.

"During the team meeting, obviously Ippei was speaking English but I didn't have a translator by my side," Ohtani said. "But even with that, I kind of understood what was going on and started to feel there was something amiss. Prior to the meeting, I was told by Ippei, 'Let's talk one-on-one after the meeting in the hotel.' So I waited. So up until that team meeting, I didn't know Ippei had a gambling addiction and was in massive debt.

"And it was revealed to me in that meeting that Ippei admitted that he was sending money, using my account, to the bookmaker. At that moment, obviously it was an absurd thing that was happening, and I contacted my representatives at that point. When I finally was able to talk to my representatives, that's when my representatives found out Ippei had been lying the whole time. And that's when I began contacting the Dodgers and my lawyers. The Dodgers and the lawyers at that moment found out as well that they'd been lied to."

The IRS has confirmed that Mizuhara and Bowyer are under criminal investigation through the agency's Los Angeles field office, though a spokesperson declined to answer whether its probe was triggered by a request from Ohtani's representatives.

Ohtani has not been accused of gambling at any point, and none of the bets were believed to have been made on baseball -- a circumstance that could lead to a permanent ban from the sport. California is one of a dozen states that has not legalized sports betting, and illegal bookmakers operate outside gambling regulations even in states where it is legal.

Bowyer's home was raided by federal authorities in October amid an investigation by the same U.S. attorney's office handling a sprawling federal money laundering and illegal gambling case in Las Vegas that drew in former minor league baseball player and bookmaker Wayne Nix.

Major League Baseball announced Friday afternoon that its department of investigations also is formally looking into the matter. Ohtani, however, is expected to continue to play while the investigation unfolds. An MLB source told ESPN on Monday that MLB investigators have spoken with federal prosecutors and were told they are free to proceed without restrictions in their own investigation. MLB did not receive any information about the case and does not expect to until the investigation is concluded, the source said.

"I think Shohei was very honest in his take of what happened," Roberts, speaking postgame, said of Ohtani's comments. "For me, the organization, we support him. I got a lot of questions answered, as far as what he knew, what he didn't know, and I'm looking forward to kind of just moving forward and obviously letting the authorities take care of it and just focus on baseball. I was proud of him to sit up here and give his take on things."

Ohtani, who first got to know Mizuhara as a teenager playing for the Nippon-Ham Fighters in Japan, spent the first six years of his major league career with the Los Angeles Angels and became a transformative two-way player in the latter half of that stretch, winning the American League's Most Valuable Player Award unanimously in 2021 and 2023. He signed a record 10-year, $700 million contract with the cross-town Dodgers -- with $680 million deferred to the 10 years following that contract -- in December, even though Ohtani will serve only as a designated hitter this season.

Minutes after his statement, Ohtani, recovering from a second major elbow surgery, played light catch in left field as part of the early stages of a throwing progression that he hopes will allow him to resume his role as a two-way player in 2025. He then took his customary spot in the No. 2 spot of the Dodgers' batting order, between Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman, for the second of three exhibition games before the team restarts its regular season against the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday.

"To summarize how I'm feeling right now, I'm just beyond shocked," Ohtani said near the end of this statement, looking directly at the camera and seemingly coming close to getting emotional at some points. "It's really hard to verbalize how I'm feeling at this point. And the season is going to start so obviously I am going to let my lawyers handle this from here on out. And I am completely assisting in all investigations that are taking place right now.

"Now I'm looking forward to focusing on the season. I'm glad we had this opportunity to talk, and I'm sure there will be continuing investigations going forward."

Information from ESPN's Tisha Thompson, T.J. Quinn and Paula Lavigne contributed to this report.

- Alden Gonzalez, ESPN Staff Writer