## Two College Hoop Teams Investigated Over Gambling
Just over two weeks ahead of Selection Sunday, college basketball is getting more black eyes. Two universities have opened gambling investigations.
College basketball analyst Jeff Goodman tweeted that the four University of New Orleans (UNO) players who have been benched since late January are now under investigation for gambling. On the West Coast, Fresno State sat two players amid a gambling investigation.
The gambling investigations are the latest in a string, and at least one may be tied to the bigger wagering scandal involving Jontay Porter of the NBA’s Toronto Raptors. Porter pled guilty in federal court last year after he was accused of illegally betting and removing himself early from games so that co-conspirators could win bets.
According to reports, top scorers James White, Jah Short, Dae Dae Hunter, and Jamond Vincent have not played for UNO since January 27. UNO athletic director Vince Granito said the quartet was suspended for “violating team rules,” but he did not specify which rules.
ESPN reports that the UNO investigation could be connected to the bigger illegal betting ring. Bets from that group may have been placed on two UNO games. The McNeese State and Southern Louisiana games “attracted bets from the sportsbook accounts associated with the betting ring, according to the sources,” ESPN said. “The point spread moved significantly against the Privateers in three other games this season.”
At Fresno State, Mykell Robinson was removed from the roster in January. Jalen Weaver was removed this week, and Zaon Collins is being investigated for betting on pro sports teams. Both were benched for the February 22 game against Air Force. Both the university and the NCAA are investigating the matter.
## Oklahoma Governor: I Offered ‘Solid, Fair Plan’
Oklahoma governor Kevin Stitt isn’t backing down from the legal sports betting proposal he floated in 2024. The deal would allow tribes the exclusive right to in-person betting but also permit commercial entities to offer digital betting. The proposal flies in the face of the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act (IGRA) and a 2024 interpretation of Indian gaming rules.
Oklahoma’s tribes have not publicly responded, but they have previously had a contentious relationship with Stitt. Under IGRA, federally recognized tribes have the right to exclusivity for Class III gaming and a right to maintain their sovereignty. Stitt’s proposal violates both issues. Previously, the state’s 30-plus tribes have long said that they will wait until Stitt term-limits out in 2027 to seriously address the issue.
The state legislature is currently considering multiple legal sports betting bills, including one that would allow the tribes to offer retail sports betting but give the Oklahoma City Thunder the rights to digital wagering. SB 585 would limit the number of mobile platforms in the state to one and require that all gross gaming revenue from the Thunder’s platform be “shared with all tribal entities that have entered into Model Gaming Compact.”
SB 585 was reported out of committee to the senate floor on February 19, but the full senate has not yet entertained the bill. Other sports betting bills in Oklahoma City have not gotten out of committee.
## Prime Sports Founder ‘Stepping Away’
Writing that “change is necessary” in the legal sports betting landscape, Joe Brennan on February 23 announced via LinkedIn that he is “stepping away” from the sharp betting site he helped found. Prime Sports is known for its “old-school” ways, including taking high wagers. Brennan was instrumental in the fight to get the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act overturned in 2018.
Brennan wrote of his frustration that “for every dollar wagered with regulated operators, at least one dollar is still being bet with unregulated ones.” He plans to go out into the gambling world and listen to ideas and thoughts as he begins to form a plan for how to effect change.
“Many of you have generously shared your insights, and if I happen to reach out to you, I’d be grateful for a few moments of your time to listen to your thoughts on what’s needed in this space,” he wrote. “I’m not selling anything—just listening and trying to step outside my own experiences. … This industry needs more—more differentiation, more competition, more protection, more innovation, and more participation. Above all, we need to be good shepherds.”
## Titus: Prediction Markets a ‘Back Door’
US representative Dina Titus of Nevada weighed in on February 21 with her thoughts on allowing prediction markets to offer sports betting. In a letter to Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) acting chairwoman Caroline D. Pham, Titus wrote, “This year, platforms have started to offer contracts on sporting events. Event contracts on sporting events bring this relatively new industry directly into conflict with state-regulated gaming operators.”
Prediction sites are not regulated in the same way that legal sports betting platforms are in US states. Kalshi won a