TLDR Every major US sports gambling scandal so far has involved male athletes, but experts say women aren’t inherently less corruptible A 2021 UN report identified gambling-related corruption as a top risk to women’s sports as they become more commercialized Betting on the WNBA surged over 100% during Caitlin Clark’s rookie season, with handle continuing to grow Match-fixers target vulnerable athletes facing financial stress, addiction, or weak safeguards — not a specific gender Experts urge women’s sports leagues to invest in prevention and athlete education before a scandal hits
The growth of women’s sports has been one of the biggest stories in the industry over the past few years. But with rising popularity comes a less welcome side effect: the growing risk of gambling-related corruption.
So far, every major sports gambling scandal in the United States has involved men. Former NBA player Jontay Porter received a lifetime ban and pleaded guilty to federal wire fraud in 2024. He was accused of manipulating his performance to help gamblers win prop bets.
Former Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was indicted in 2025 on similar charges. In January, 26 men were charged with conspiracy to shave points in NCAA men’s basketball games.
Former Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz Jr. are set to stand trial in November. They face charges of manipulating pitch outcomes to win microbets across parts of three seasons.
Why Women’s Sports Have Been Spared — So Far
Sports integrity expert Chris Kronow Rasmussen told Gambling Insider that the lack of scandals in women’s sports isn’t about gender. It’s about opportunity, incentives, and market conditions.
“I do not think the main explanation is that women are somehow inherently less corrupt than men,” Rasmussen said. “A better explanation is that corruption and manipulation tend to follow