Suspicious betting patterns emerging in sports wagering now

NY Post ^ | 3/14/24 | Phil Mushnick

[Libloather]

**SNIP**

What should’ve been the biggest story of the week — five Division I college basketball games being examined for highly suspicious or “irregular” betting patterns can’t compete with the latest speculation of free-agent linebackers of varied achievement.

According to multiple reports and the schools’ acknowledgments, four of those games include Temple’s team and the other was played by Loyola (Md.). Both teams had rotten seasons.

But the most conspicuously suspicious among the games in question was University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) at Temple on March 7, a barely contested 100-72 UAB win. As curious games go, this one stood out for not standing out. It was a so-what game between a 19-11 visitor and 11-19 Temple. Not a game of national note, which may not have been a coincidence.

In the afternoon before the game, the line soared from UAB giving 1 ½ or 2 to giving 8 — and on the road — an enormous move that could only leave a stink given the final score. There was no good reason — not an injury or suspension — that could explain such sudden, one-way, heavy action on a visiting team.

And these days, sophisticated game-fixers would avoid suspicions and detection by spreading their action among several legal bookmakers as there are now so many to choose from. That would prevent the line from sudden surges into shady territory.

**SNIP**

My educated guess is that if any of these games are found to have been fixed they’re inside or at least neighborhood jobs bereft of sophistication. Several players, in a losing season and with minimal professional basketball futures — not to mention the get-rich-quick commercial prompts that daily flood their senses — appeared to have had exceptionally bad games.

[Libloather]

And the absence of a reasonably slight betting movement would not be the work of wiser wiseguys. But it may reflect this column’s previous prediction that college players are now more susceptible to the demands, threats and loyalties of street gangs than to the cigar-chomping, needs-a-shave hoods from long-gone central casting.

Bet $2 on KC to win. Scored $1.36. I will report it on my tax form next year.

[nikos1121]

It was a so-what game between a 19-11 visitor and 11-19 Temple.

Who is going to bet on Temple if they’re giving them only a couple points against a team that is 19/11

In truth, they should have given them 20 points.

[abb]

Say it ain’t so, Joe...

[who_would_fardels_bear]

Hedge funds make millions by buying and selling thousands of positions that only change in the cents.

This appears to be a similar method to make millions by tweaking the odds slightly on many bets via many brokers.

What's a punter to do?

[thinden]

My educated guess is that if any of these games are found to have been fixed they’re inside or at least neighborhood jobs bereft of sophistication. Several players, in a losing season and with minimal professional basketball futures — not to mention the get-rich-quick commercial prompts that daily flood their senses — appeared to have had exceptionally bad games.

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could be temple was a little cheap on their NIL payola to team players?

[Red Badger]

I wonder if AI is now being used to predict game outcomes and people all over are betting according to what the AI ORACLE says?....................

[Hatteras]

Analytics is screwing up the game, might as well screw up Las Vegas as well

[Red Badger]

What I really hate is ‘Fantasy’ football, etc. The sports networks devote more time to that CRAP than they do to real sports discussions................

[Red Badger]

Using an AI for betting analysis is like having Jimmy the Greek on speed dial....................

[WASCWatch]

I’d be taking a look at a few Arizona games they lost to clearly inferior teams.