A college basketball star has admitted missing shots on purpose after being embroiled in a nationwide gambling scandal in the United States.
The NCAA is big business in the U.S, while punters in the UK and Europe also take a keen interest during the March Madness event.
But Dae Dae Hunter, who plays for the University of New Orleans, has admitted on national television that he deliberately missed shots as part of a ‘point shaving’ scam.
It comes after the NCAA revealed back in October that as many as 30 current and former players are being investigated over allegations that they deliberately performed badly so as not to hit their prop betting lines.
Not at Their Best
“I did go out there and not do my best: basically shooting the ball and not actually trying to make it.”
They are the words that will haunt the gambling sector in the United States, as Hunter told the Good Morning America programme that he was effectively paid to under-perform.
He subsequently admitted that, having just become a parent, he needed the money – which was paid to him by an unnamed punter in the United States – to help with the cost.
It has reported that Hunter and two of his New Orleans teammates, Dyquavian Short and Jamond Vincent, were paid $5,000 each – £3,800 – for allegedly rigging their performances in college games.
Hunter is one of six players who have been suspended from the NCAA, pending an investigation, with the group accused of ‘manipulating their performances to lose games, failing to cover bet lines, or ensuring specific prop bets were met, or provided information to facilitate such actions,’ during the 2024/25 season.
Initially, he denied the allegations – but later admitted what he had done after failing to see a way out of the scandal.
“I told them I wasn’t doing it; I told them I didn’t know anything. But the whole time, basically I knew. I knew everything. I was trying to lie because I thought I wouldn’t get my way out of it,” Hunter said.
The American Nightmare
It has been a year of gambling scandals in American sport.
Miami Heat player Terry Rozier has been suspended from action after allegedly ensuring that his performances went ‘under’ certain stat lines – enabling punters to profit.
Former NBA star Damon Jones stands accused of having sold privileged information about injuries suffered by Los Angeles Lakers players, including Le Bron James, to betting syndicates.
Jones reportedly told Marves Fairley, a punter with whom he was acquainted, whenever key Lakers players were injured – with Fairley paying $2,500 (£1,900) for the inside info.
On one occasion, it’s alleged that Fairley placed a $100,000 (£76,000) bet based on Jones’ information… only for the Lakers player in question to actually turn out for his team and help them to victory. Fairley, it’s written, then demanded a refund from Jones.
Appearing in court in New York, Jones denied the charges of money laundering and wire fraud. The case continues.
A number of individuals have been arrested by the FBI in connection with the case, while the NBA has launched their own investigation – demanding that staff at the franchises involved, including the Lakers, hand over phones and sensitive documents to assist with their enquiries.
Meanwhile, in Major League Baseball, two pitchers for the Cleveland Guardians – Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz – have been accused of rigging pitches on behalf of punters in MLB games.
Clase was sensationally arrested by FBI agents at JFK Airport in New York, before being hauled into a Brooklyn courtroom. He denies facilitating the gambling scam, which saw two punters in the Dominican Republic net around £350,000 in profit.
What is Prop Betting?
Prop betting allows punters to bet on the ‘under’ or ‘over’ side of certain stat lines, such as points, rebounds and assists in basketball matches.
It is so popular in America that it has overtaken match winner, spreads and totals as the most wagered-upon betting market.
Prop betting is available with UK bookmakers too, with punters able to bet in this way on a variety of sports – in football, for example, prop lines include total shots, tackles, fouls and more besides.
The issue, perhaps, is that this kind of market is ripe for scandal – particularly if sports bettors can get in the ear of willing players. It would be hard to imagine a Premier League footballer becoming embroiled in such a scheme, but a player in a low key, low paid league? That’s where the concern lies.