Eastern Michigan basketball under investigation for suspicious betting

A sports betting watchdog has launched an investigation of suspicious betting activity around a Eastern Michigan basketball game.

This would mark the second basketball game at Eastern Michigan University that has been investigated for suspicious bets in the span of one month. Sports betting watchdog Integrity Compliance 360 (IC360) sent an alert to its clients detailing that a bettor attempted to place “their largest wager to date” on Central Michigan to cover the spread in the first half.

“While investigating, the operator also found two other high stakes wagers from two accounts in a different jurisdiction, both on Central Michigan 1st Half spread,” the alert read.

As reported by ESPN’s David Purdum, multiple sportsbooks had also reported alarming wagers during last week’s NCAA basketball game between Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan.

The betting activity was found across Connecticut and Tennessee, with several high-stakes bets on the same spread wager coming from two accounts in a different jurisdiction. This echoes previous suspicious betting activity on a Wright State vs. Eastern Michigan game at the end of December. In both cases noted by IC360, the suspicious bets were laid against Eastern Michigan.

“We became aware of the matter on Wednesday and a review is underway,” a spokesperson for Eastern Michigan told ESPN in a statement. “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.”

That university has launched its own review into the bets, coming out of a pattern of concerning activity throughout 2024 and now continuing into 2025.

Specifically, the unusual betting activity on first halves is part of a rising trend noted in the college basketball betting industry, according to multiple gambling industry sources speaking to ESPN. This has led to multiple foreign sportsbooks and at least one US book removing the option to bet first halves on select games this season.

America isn’t alone in such issues, with Sportrader reporting 1,329 suspicious matches, including a rise in Asia. AI has also started to be used to detect suspicious activity faster.

Featured image: Unsplash

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