Jalen Smith Sentenced to 6 Years in NCAA Betting Scheme — SkimNews
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- Jalen Smith, 30, was sentenced to six years in federal prison in Pennsylvania for his role in a scheme that rigged games during the 2023-24 and 2024-25 NCAA Division I basketball seasons — the first sentence in a case prosecutors call the first of its kind.
- Smith recruited players with promises of $10,000-$30,000 per game to underperform; prosecutors say he and at least 26 other defendants wagered against the players' own teams to defraud sportsbooks.
- The scheme involved nearly 30 contests at programs including DePaul University, State University of New York at Buffalo, and Tulane University, generating more than $3 million in fraudulent wagers.
- Smith must pay $1.1 million in restitution to gambling platforms; he pleaded guilty earlier this year to bribery, wire fraud, and a separate felony gun possession charge.
- Prosecutors targeted over a dozen former college basketball players and four others who were active on college teams last season, with payments typically ranging from $10,000 to $30,000 per fixed game.
- Smith, of Charlotte, North Carolina, ran a business developing local talent for professional scouting combines and used those connections to recruit players into the scheme, prosecutors said.
- FBI Philadelphia special agent in charge Wayne A. Jacobs said the conduct "undermines the integrity of sports and the trust placed in fair competition," framing the sentence as a deterrent to future exploitation of college athletes.
Why it matters: This is the first sentencing in a sprawling 26-defendant case, so the six-year term sets a benchmark for the dozen-plus former college players still facing judges — and the $1.1 million restitution order gives sportsbooks a concrete dollar figure for the harm done. Prosecutors flagged that players were picked because their legitimate income was small enough that bribes looked life-changing, a vulnerability that will persist as billions continue to flow into legal betting on the sport.
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