Five former British Basketball League (BBL) players have been slapped with bans ranging from 10 years to life for their respective roles in a match-fixing ring.
Today, 16 June, the Gambling Commission announced its Sport Betting Intelligence Unit supported a match-fixing investigation into the former BBL players
Working in conjunction with the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the British Basketball Federation (BBF), the investigation found at least six matches believed to have been compromised during the 2022-23 season.
These matches related to five former Surrey Scorchers players who had been accused of manipulating match outcomes and failing to report corrupt activity during the season in question.
The Surrey Scorchers were one of 10 teams to make up the BBL. The league was dissolved at the end of the 2023-24 season over financial concerns and replaced by Super League Basketball and a new operating company.
Fellow Americans Quincy Taylor and Charleston Dobbs have been hit with lifetime bans and £3,000 fines each by the BBF, with FIBA extending the punishment globally. Neither opted to appeal the decision.
Shakem Johnston and Padiet Wang were also given lifetime suspensions, with the chance of the suspension being reduced, while Joshua McFolley was handed a worldwide suspension until September 2034.
All three players were given the opportunity to appeal the sentences.
A sixth player, Dean Wanliss, was given a £3,000 fine and suspended three-year suspension across Great Britain for betting on basketball matches and competitions across the world between 2019 and 2021.
At the time, Wanliss was registered to play in Spain and the UK for the Manchester Giants during the 2018-19 season and the Surrey Scorchers between 2020 and 2021.
A British Basketball statement read: “FIBA, the British Basketball Federation, its members, namely Basketball England, Basketball Scotland and Basketball Wales, as well as the British National Championship Leagues, are jointly committed to a zero tolerance to betting and corruption in basketball in Great Britain.”
The Gambling Commission added: “This case underscores the commitment of FIBA, the BBF, the Gambling Commission and other stakeholders to maintaining integrity in sport and enforcing a zero-tolerance policy toward betting-related corruption.”
The post Five basketball players handed lengthy bans following match-fixing probe first appeared on EGR Intel.
Investigation, led by the Gambling Commission and two basketball bodies, finds quintet of former Surrey Scorchers’ players attempted to fix at least six matches during 2022-23 season
The post Five basketball players handed lengthy bans following match-fixing probe first appeared on EGR Intel.