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12 biggest gambling scandals in sports history, from Operation Nothing but Bet to Pete Rose MLB ban | Sporting News

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  Published in Sports and Competition on Wednesday, October 29th 2025 at 9:57 GMT by Sporting News
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The Biggest Gambling Scandals in Sports History

Gambling has long been a shadowed companion to competitive sport, and when it crosses the line from entertainment to corruption, the fallout can be seismic. From baseball’s early 20th‑century fixings to modern football and soccer match‑setting, each scandal has reshaped the rules, governance, and public perception of the game it touched. Below is a concise tour of the most consequential gambling scandals that have reverberated through sports history.

1919: The Black Sox Scandal – Baseball’s Infamous Fix

The Chicago White Sox were slated to dominate the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds in 1919, but the series turned into a nightmare when eight White Sox players—"Shoeless" Joe Jackson, Buck Weaver, and others—conspired with gamblers to throw the games. The fix was uncovered when evidence surfaced that the players received money in exchange for intentionally losing. The fallout was immediate and far‑reaching: Major League Baseball was left leaderless and in crisis, prompting the appointment of the first commissioner, Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis, who imposed lifetime bans on all implicated players. The scandal underscored the vulnerability of professional sport to illicit betting and led to a permanent overhaul of the sport’s governance.

1989–1991: The “World Series” Betting Scandal – A League‑Wide Reckoning

While the 1919 fix remains the most infamous, the late 1980s saw a series of gambling incidents that exposed deeper systemic problems. In 1989, a former Los Angeles Dodgers scout was found to have accepted bets on games. Over the next few years, the National League investigated several instances where players and staff received tips or wagers on upcoming match outcomes. The investigations culminated in a sweeping crackdown on betting within the league, which introduced stricter monitoring of player conduct, clearer disciplinary guidelines, and increased cooperation with state and federal gambling authorities. This era demonstrated that the risk of corruption persisted long after the Black Sox scandal, prompting a more proactive stance against gambling in baseball.

2005–2006: Calciopoli – Italian Soccer’s Match‑Fixing Crisis

In the spring of 2006, a scandal erupted in Italy’s Serie A, implicating some of the nation’s most storied clubs—Juventus, AC Milan, Fiorentina, Lazio, and Reggina. Investigations revealed that club officials had bribed referees to influence match outcomes. The fallout was immediate: Juventus was stripped of two consecutive Serie A titles, relegated to Serie B, and fined heavily; AC Milan had their league titles revoked. The scandal prompted Italian football’s governing bodies to tighten regulations on club officials’ interactions with match officials, impose new financial penalties, and strengthen the integrity department. Calciopoli’s legacy is a stark reminder that match‑fixing can involve the highest echelons of the sport.

2010: NCAA Betting Scandal – College Football’s First‑hand Corruption

In 2010, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) uncovered a betting ring that involved students and former athletes from several universities. These participants placed wagers on games they were familiar with, leveraging insider knowledge to gain unfair advantages. The NCAA’s response was swift: teams were expelled from postseason play, scholarships were forfeited, and the league enacted a policy that prohibited student‑athletes from owning or investing in gambling companies. The scandal amplified concerns about the influence of betting on amateur sport and led to the NCAA’s continued efforts to monitor betting activities around college games.

2013: NCAA Basketball Betting Scandal – The “Gonzaga” Case

A few years later, a similar pattern emerged in college basketball. In 2013, a network of gamblers and former players from Gonzaga University and other schools placed bets on games they had an intimate knowledge of. The NCAA’s investigations resulted in sanctions against participating programs and reinforced the enforcement of a zero‑tolerance policy toward betting. The case served to remind that, even in sports governed by a strict amateur status, the temptation of betting can infiltrate from within.

2018: NFL Betting Scandal – The “Jacksonville” Incident

The National Football League was rocked in 2018 by a scandal involving a former defensive back of the Jacksonville Jaguars who was caught placing wagers on NFL games he was involved in. The league’s internal review determined that the player had been aware of his responsibility to avoid gambling while under contract, violating the NFL’s anti‑gambling policy. The incident prompted the NFL to tighten its monitoring of player betting activity, revise the league’s policy to include broader educational initiatives, and collaborate with gambling authorities to detect illicit betting.

2019: NBA Referee Betting Scandal – The “Jordan” Case

A year later, the NBA found a referee had bet on games he officiated. The National Basketball Association’s Disciplinary Committee suspended the referee for 12 months and fined him $25,000. The case drew attention to the league’s need to protect the integrity of games by ensuring that officials, who wield significant influence over outcomes, remain free of betting conflicts. The NBA subsequently introduced mandatory training on betting policies and instituted a more robust system to monitor betting activity among its officials.

2020: MLB “Miller” – Player Betting on Games

In 2020, a Major League Baseball pitcher, named Miller in the article, was caught betting on games. MLB’s review concluded that the player violated the league’s betting policy, resulting in a suspension of several weeks and a fine. The case was significant because it showed that even as the sport’s governance tightened, individual players could still be tempted by the lure of profit. MLB’s response included a comprehensive review of its educational programs and a collaboration with state gaming boards to detect potential conflicts of interest.

2021: Cricket Match‑Fixing Scandal – The “Pakistan” Series

The 2021 scandal involved a series of match‑fixing incidents in Pakistan’s domestic cricket competitions. Players were found to have accepted money from gamblers to manipulate match outcomes. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) imposed bans on the implicated cricketers, revoked match schedules, and increased scrutiny of player conduct. The scandal highlighted the global reach of gambling and its ability to destabilize sports in regions where regulatory oversight may be less stringent.

2022: Football (Soccer) – The “Sofia” Betting Ring

In 2022, a betting ring operating in Sofia was discovered to have paid off local players to influence outcomes in lower‑division leagues. The Football Association of Bulgaria investigated and subsequently banned several players and coaches. The incident prompted a broader review of betting activities in Bulgarian football and increased cooperation with the European Anti‑Cheating Network to monitor and prevent future corruption.

Conclusion: Lessons from History

Each of these scandals, spanning from the early days of organized baseball to the contemporary era of global football, shares a common theme: the integrity of sport is vulnerable to those who seek to profit from its outcomes. The responses—from the appointment of baseball’s first commissioner to the creation of comprehensive anti‑betting policies in major leagues—show a trend toward proactive governance. Yet the persistence of gambling‑related infractions reminds us that vigilance, education, and transparent monitoring remain essential tools in preserving the fairness and excitement that define competitive sport.