NCAA president responds to integrity concerns after alleged point-shaving scheme leads to dozens of arrests

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The NCAA said that protecting the "integrity" of its athletics is "of the utmost importance" for the organization after at least 26 people were charged Thursday in connection with fixed college basketball games, and urged states to "ban risky bets."

Prosecutors said the alleged participants bribed Chinese Basketball Association players in 2022 "to underperform and help ensure their team failed to cover the spread in certain games and then, through various sports books, arranged for large wagers to be placed on those games against that team."

The following year, the participants allegedly expanded their scheme to the NCAA, recruiting players and paying bribes between $10,000 and $30,000 per game.

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NCAA President Charlie Baker and Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell announce a gambling prevention program aimed at kids during a press conference at TD Garden. The program includes a school curriculum on the risks of gambling that will be rolled out to schools statewide, as well as new money towards research to understand the scope of the problem.  (Matthew J. Lee/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

According to the indictment, more than 39 players on 17 different teams attempted to fix more than 29 NCAA Division I men’s basketball games, including conference tournament contests. The organizers of the alleged scheme placed wagers totaling millions of dollars.

"Protecting competition integrity is of the utmost importance for the NCAA. We are thankful for law enforcement agencies working to detect and combat integrity issues and match manipulation in college sports," NCAA President