Sports

Michigan College Basketball Teams Investigated For Suspicious Gambling Activity On First Half Blowouts

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Eastern Michigan Basketball Gambling Betting Suspicious Investigation
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Two different college basketball games involving Eastern Michigan are under investigation for suspicious gambling activity. Betting integrity firms were alerted to unusual wagering activity earlier this week after the Eagles lost to the Central Michigan Chippewas by 19 points on Tuesday.

It is currently unclear as to who placed the bets or why but all of the involved universities are willing to cooperate with the ongoing inquiry.

Integrity Compliance 360 was the first company to alert its clients (state gaming regulators, sportsbooks, NCAA conferences, etc.) of the sketchy college basketball wagers on Wednesday. A bettor attempted to place his or her “largest wager to date” on Central Michigan to cover the spread in the first half of its home game against Eastern Michigan.

The point spread on the first half opened at -3.5 in favor of the home team and moved to -6.5 in the hour before tipoff. The Chippewas hit a triple right before the buzzer to go up by six at the break.

People are betting against Eastern Michigan in the first half of college basketball games.

This was not the only bet of this kind. Integrity Compliance 360 also found “two other high stakes wagers from two accounts in a different jurisdiction, both on Central Michigan 1st Half spread.” Those accounts were traced back to Connecticut and Tennessee.

It was not the first incident of this kind either. Integrity Compliance 360 also flagged a game between Wright State and Eastern Michigan on Dec. 21. The suspicious betting activity on that day was also against the Eagles in the first half.

Wright State led Eastern Michigan by 11 points at halftime but the latter actually won the game by four.

We became aware of the matter on Wednesday and a review is underway. At this time we do not know anything further about what may have precipitated the suspicious activity. We are working with the Mid-American Conference and will provide further details as we learn additional information.

— A spokesperson for Eastern Michigan University, via ESPN

And here’s the thing. These kind of unusual wagers on the first half spread are part of an ongoing trend in college basketball. Bookmakers and professional bettors have their eye on it.

With that in mind, Integrity Compliance 360 believes there is “a potential tie” between the bets placed on Eastern Michigan’s opponent last month and those placed on Central Michigan on Tuesday. More information will be provided as the investigation continues.