EMU hoops games flagged for suspicious betting

• David Purdum, ESPN Staff WriterJan 17, 2025, 07:36 PM ET

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  • Signed up with ESPN in 2014
  • Journalist covering gambling industry since 2008

Betting stability companies are investigating Tuesday’s males’s college basketball game in between Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan after numerous sportsbooks reported uncommon wagering activity.On Wednesday

, sports betting display Integrity Compliance 360 distributed an alert to its customers, which includes sportsbooks, state gaming regulators, leagues and NCAA conferences, mentioning that a wagerer had actually tried to position “their largest wager to date” on Central Michigan to cover the spread in the first half of its home game against Eastern Michigan.

“While investigating, the operator also discovered 2 other high stakes wagers from 2 accounts in a different jurisdiction, both on Central Michigan 1st Half spread,” the alert states. The activity happened in Connecticut and Tennessee, according to a copy of the alert acquired by ESPN.The alert

kept in mind Tuesday’s game was the 2nd including Eastern Michigan that had actually been flagged by sportsbooks this season. IC360 also sent an alert regarding suspicious betting activity on a Wright State-Eastern Michigan game on Dec. 21.

In both circumstances, the suspicious wagering protested Eastern Michigan.

“We ended up being mindful of the matter on Wednesday and an evaluation is underway,” a representative for Eastern Michigan told ESPN in a declaration. “At this time we do not understand anything further about what might have sped up the suspicious activity. We are working with the Mid-American Conference and will supply additional details as we learn extra info.”

IC360 declined to comment when reached by ESPN. A representative for the Michigan Gaming Control panel said in an e-mail to ESPN that it knew that a second sports wagering display, the International Betting Integrity Agency, was “evaluating an NCAA basketball game that happened on Jan. 14” however decreased even more comment.The IBIA, citing company policy, decreased to comment.The point spread on the very first half of the game opened at Central Michigan -3.5 and moved to -6.5 in the hour before tipoff. Central Michigan struck a 3-pointer in the last seconds to put the Chippewas up 39-33 at halftime.The unusual wagering activity on first halves belongs to a pattern that veteran bookmakers and expert wagerers have been tracking on college basketball games dating to last season, including on games including Temple, multiple gaming industry sources told ESPN.ESPN formerly reported that federal authorities are examining a previous Temple guys’s basketball player after a regular-season game in between Temple and UAB was flagged for suspicious betting in March 2024. Several offshore sportsbooks and at least one U.S. book have gotten rid of the alternative to wager very first halves on choose games this season.

The alert on the Wright State-Eastern Michigan games, a copy of which ESPN got, specifies that the suspicious betting was on the Wright State first-half spread of -2.5.” At this time, there is belief of a potential tie between these gamblers, and wagerers who put suspicious wagers on First Half markets

in flagged games last season,”the alert states.Wright State led Eastern Michigan 38-27 at halftime. Eastern Michigan won the game 86-82. First-half lines generally amount to around 50% of the full-game point spread. The point spread on the full game in between Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan closed at -8, while

the first-half line closed at -6.5. In a few of the other games flagged by bookmakers and bettors, enough action can be found in to cause the first-half line to close equal or higher than the line on the full game.

“Could not be a bigger warning than closing higher on a half than a [full] game, “a veteran Las Vegas bookie said.Eastern Michigan plays at Bowling Green on Saturday.