LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — A sweeping federal investigation into alleged college basketball point-shaving is prompting renewed discussion about how integrity is protected in an era of expanded, regulated wagering — particularly at the college level.
Prosecutors allege more than three dozen players across at least 17 Division I programs were involved in a scheme that manipulated games over a two-year period. The case includes a Las Vegas connection, with authorities naming gambler Shane Hennen, also known as “Sugar Shane,” as a key figure.
WATCH | College basketball point-shaving case highlights challenges in betting landscape
Experts stress the investigation does not suggest a breakdown of regulation, but rather highlights areas regulators and leagues continue to monitor closely as betting options evolve.
“What happens is a player on a team is essentially bribed to manipulate how they play in the game,” said Geoff Schumacher, an organized crime historian with The Mob Museum in Las Vegas. “So if the team is supposed to win, you can play badly so that they don’t — and then you bet on the other team and make money.”
Schumacher said basketball can be more susceptible to manipulation because of its structure, not because of weaker oversight.
“There’s only five players from your team on the court at any one time,” he said. “One player not playing hard or doing something to affect the outcome — that’s a lot easier than in a sport like football.”
Investigators have pointed to player-specific prop bets as a key focus of the case. Those wagers allow betting on individual performances rather than game outcomes — a legal option in many regulated markets — and can create additional areas regulators monitor closely.
“You’re able to manipulate not an entire game, but just one part of the game,” Schumacher said. “You can bet on how many points one individual player is going to make. You don’t have to manipulate the whole outcome.”
Schumacher emphasized that athlete vulnerability, particularly at lower levels of college sports, is central to many such cases.
“If you’re at a small school and you don’t have a lot of money, you could be susceptible to this kind of manipulation,” he said.
While the investigation has drawn national attention, Schumacher noted that concerns about game integrity are not new — and that modern regulation has significantly improved detection.
“When you start seeing large bets on low-level college games, that’s suspicious immediately,” he said. “That means these bettors know something.”
Nevada’s long-standing regulatory framework has often served as a model for other states, with sportsbooks and regulators closely tracking unusual betting patterns. Experts say cases like this one reflect an ongoing effort to adapt safeguards as the sports and betting landscapes continue to evolve.
