Biggest Gambling Scandals in North American Sports History

While the volume of wagers has ascended in recent years, gambling has been a part of the sports world for many decades.

Back in 1919, eight members of the Chicago White Sox allegedly threw the World Series. Although a jury ruled not guilty on the charges, each player received a lifetime ban from Major League Baseball.

There have been investigations into players, coaches and referees alike for improper bets, point-shaving and other violations. The findings have led to suspensions, bans, resignations, cancellations, dismissals and a whole lot of significant penalties.

The recent scandal involving Shohei Ohtani's interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, is simply the latest story of the complications that sports gambling can bring to athletes—both amateur and professional.

The biggest point-shaving scandal in college basketball history came to light in 1951. All told, the investigation led to 35 active and former players being implicated in the scheme. City College of New York and Long Island University faded from relevance, and Kentucky—then coached by the legendary Adolph Rupp—canceled its 1952-53 season.

Boston College, unfortunately has endured a pair of scandals.

First, the 1978-79 basketball team shaved points in several games, and the conspiracy led to multiple jail sentences. In 1996, the BC football program suspended 13 players for placing prohibited bets. Head coach Dan Henning and athletic director Chet Gladchuk soon resigned.

In the aftermath of a point-shaving scandal, Tulane disbanded its men's basketball program in 1985. The team returned in 1989.

Northwestern similarly also dealt with point-shaving within its football and men's basketball teams. Four players from the 1994 football roster were indicted for perjury, and two players on the 1994-95 basketball squad received one-month prison sentences.

Most recently, athletes from Iowa and Iowa State pleaded guilty to underage gambling. While not as much of a scandal, per se, the dozens of implicated athletes served as a warning for the current era.

In short: Athletes simply must not place wagers on anything.

Prior to the 2023-24 season, the NHL suspended Shane Pinto for 41 games. While the league found no evidence that he bet on NHL games, Pinto became the first player to violate the NHL's gambling policy.

That, however, doesn't mean he was the first hockey player to land a punishment for betting.

In 1946, the NHL suspended eventual Hall of Fame inductee Babe Pratt ultimately for two weeks. Two years later, the league banned Billy Taylor and Don Gallinger for life after they'd bet on NHL games.

Additionally, now-Vancouver Canucks coach Rick Tocchet pleaded guilty to conspiracy and promoting gambling while an assistant with the Phoenix Coyotes in 2007. The league reinstated him in 2008.

While the NFL has included the most bad gambling news lately, there's also a long history here. Two future Hall of Fame players—Paul Hornung and Ted Karras—were suspended for the 1963 season, and Art Schlichter missed the 1983 season while serving his penalty.

In 2022, Calvin Ridley sat through a one-year suspension after he violated the NFL's gambling policy.

The bright side? Ridley returned to the field with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2023 and surpassed 1,000 yards. He then signed a contract worth $50 million guaranteed to join the Tennessee Titans.

Last year, the league handed down suspensions for 10 players—including seven indefinite bans for betting on NFL games.

Although the NBA—the latest Jontay Porter investigation notwithstanding—has mostly avoided gambling issues so far, the league's major blemish is a memorable one.

An investigation learned Tim Donaghy, a referee for more than a decade, bet on games he officiated from 2003 to 2007. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage in wire fraud and transmitting wagering information through interstate commerce.

Donaghy, who later accused the NBA of being corrupt in various ways, served 11 months in prison. A federal attorney called his claims "unsubstantiated" after review.

About a year after the Cincinnati Reds celebrated a best-of-nine (you read that correctly) win over the Chicago White Sox in the 1919 World Series, the scandal turned from a rumor to reality.

Despite a jury returning verdicts of not guilty on all charges of conspiracy to defraud, the eight players faced a lifetime ban from baseball. That decision happened in 1921 when Kenesaw Mountain Landis became the commissioner of the league.

In 1989, all-time hits leader and Reds legend Pete Rose accepted a lifetime ban after allegations that he'd placed bets on MLB games—including some he played and managed in Cincinnati.

Rose remains ineligible for the Baseball Hall of Fame, but the Reds inducted him into their franchise Hall of Fame in 2016.