In the United States, controversies surrounding game-fixing have predominantly involved men's sports. However, as women's sports gain traction, this narrative may shift.
Over the past three years, professional and collegiate sports leagues have faced significant corruption scandals, leading to a decline in fan trust. Bettors are increasingly skeptical of questionable calls and errors on the field.
No one has been immune to these issues. The National Basketball Association (NBA) has particularly suffered, with former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter receiving a lifetime ban after pleading guilty to federal wire fraud charges in 2024. Similarly, former Miami Heat player Terry Rozier was indicted in 2025 for related offenses, accused of altering his performance to benefit gamblers.
In January, federal prosecutors indicted 26 men, including several former and current players, for conspiring to manipulate point spreads in NCAA men's basketball games. Notably, former Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz Jr. are set to face trial on November 4, charged with influencing pitch outcomes to secure microbets over three seasons.
What ties these cases together? A mix of greed and poor judgment, but strikingly, all those indicted have been male.
As the risk of corruption rises, questions arise about the integrity of female athletes. Chris Kronow Rasmussen, a sports integrity expert, asserts that it is overly simplistic to claim that women are inherently less corrupt than men. Instead, he points out that corruption often arises from opportunity, incentives, access, networks, and vulnerability.
A 2021 report from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime highlighted gambling-related corruption as a significant threat to the integrity of women's sports, predicting that this risk would intensify as these leagues become more commercialized.
Rasmussen suggests that the absence of publicly known scandals in women's sports may stem from factors similar to those that exposed the Guardians players' alleged misconduct. The betting volume on specific outcomes, like a pitcher's strike rate, remains low compared to other betting options, making anomalies easier to spot. This situation mirrors that of women's sports, despite their growing popularity among bettors.
As interest in women's sports escalates, both in terms of viewership and betting, the potential for criminal exploitation increases. Caitlin Clark's rise to fame before joining the WNBA has significantly boosted merchandise sales, ratings, and betting activity, with PENN Entertainment and BetMGM reporting increases of 150% and 108%, respectively, during her rookie season.
A trader from a major U.S. sportsbook noted that while specific betting figures for women's basketball are not readily available, there is a noticeable uptick in wagering activity in women's NCAA basketball and the WNBA, driven by players like Paige Bueckers and Azzi Fudd, who enhance Clark's remarkable influence.
Currently, betting markets for women's sports do not exhibit the vulnerabilities that attract conspiratorial manipulation in the NBA or men's college basketball.
Rasmussen explained, “In men's sports, there is typically greater betting liquidity, more operators, more in-play opportunities, and a wider array of derivative and prop markets, allowing for larger bets without distorting the market.” This is crucial because match-fixing involves not just identifying a susceptible athlete but also whether criminals can profit from their manipulations.