With the Supreme Court ending a federal ban on sports betting, the floodgates have opened for some, or all, of the 50 states to legalize wagers on athletic events. With this brave new world of gaming, we’ll see extra focus on players, officials, spreads, lines and money, all as leagues, law enforcement and sports books try to ensure that sports gambling stays incorruptible. Good luck with that: Ever since professional sports were created, players have been betting on games and gamblers have been finding ways to infiltrate the games to shift the odds in their favor. Here are 11 of the biggest scandals in sports gambling history.

1. Famous Athlete Gambling Sites
2. Famous Athlete Gambling Games

1. The Black Sox (1919 World Series): “Never before in the history of America’s biggest baseball spectacle has a pennant-winning club received such a disastrous drubbing in an opening game.” So wrote The New York Times after the Chicago White Sox were defeated 9-1 in Game 1 of the 1919 World Series, unaware that said drubbing was the result of eight players who had agreed to help throw the Series for gamblers.

We have some athletes already on this list; some of them very good athletes that will be remembered in the very distant future. These are men whose names everyone knows and will never forget; yet they battle serious personal demons. Michael Jordan is the most famous NBA star of all time. And he has a gambling addiction. Tall, dark, and handsome NBA star is on this list for apparent reasons. You can’t talk about the most competitive athletes in NBA history and not mention Michael Jordan. Jordan’s first retirement in 1993 was as a result of his gambling addiction, and it was going be a shame to his team and the league if he had been suspended for gambling.

The degree to which each player helped has been a debate for almost a century. Joe Jackson, banned for life along with seven teammates, hit .375 with a .956 OPS over the eight games and didn’t make an error. “How do you explain that?” Kevin Costner correctly asks in Field of Dreams. (Jackson admitted taking money.) Others, like pitcher Eddie Cicotte and Chick Gandil (allegedly the on-field mastermind) took a noticeable dive.

It turns out that the Sox throwing the Series was the worst-kept secret in baseball. Even before Game 1, the baseball world was atwitter with word that the fix was in but the commissioner’s office was apparently content to look the other way. It was until a separate case one year later that the word about 1919 got out. None of the Black Sox were found guilty in court (a rumor suggests that owner Charlie Comiskey and kingpin Arnold Rothstein helped disappear some key paperwork) but were banned from baseball for life.

2. CCNY point shaving (1950): In 1951, 32 college basketball players from seven schools around the country were caught up in a mafia-run point shaving scheme that hit four New York schools and three out-of-state teams, including Kentucky. It was a major blow for college basketball, especially considering that the bulk of the accused players had been on CCNY’s 1950 team, which became the first (and only) team to ever win the NCAA and NIT tournaments. The scandal decimated the team — which rivaled the Yankees and the Dodgers for New York sports supremacy at the time — and effectively ended the school’s affiliation with big-time athletics. Despite an insistence from a holier-than-thou Adolph Rupp that his boys weren’t involved in such nefarious schemes, Kentucky was banned for a full season as well.

3. Pete Rose: The all-time hit king was banned for life in 1989 for betting on games, something he adamently denied for 15 years. He finally admitted to betting while managing the Reds, but insisted he never bet on baseball while he was a player. Never! A few years later, that was proven to be another lie — evidence showed that Rose bet about once a day in 1987, typically for around $2,000. Though he frequently bet on his Reds, Rose vows he never bet against his own team and, despite his flexibility with the truth, this claim seems legit. No evidence has ever come out to suggest otherwise and, to be honest, it doesn’t really fit with what we know about the man.

4. Paul Hornung and Alex Karras: Before Pete Rose, there was Paul Hornung and Alex Karras. The former was an NFL MVP who set a league scoring record in 1960 that stood for 46 years (and is still the second-highest total in history). The latter was a first-team All-Pro defensive lineman. Despite their success (or maybe because of it), Hornung and Karras routinely bet up to $500 on NFL games while associating with known gamblers. Both men were contrite (Rose should have taken note of that in 1989) and, in issuing his indefinite suspension, Rozelle took care to mention that neither player bet on or against their own teams. The suspension was dropped after a full season. Hornung was later elected to the Hall of Fame and Karras starred on the 1980s sitcom Webster.

5. BC Goodfellas: The most notorious real-life gangster portrayed in Goodfellas didn’t go down for the Lufthansa heist, whacking Billy Batts, robbery, murders or aiding and abetting Joe Pesci being called a clown. Jimmy Burke (played by Robert DeNiro in Martin Scorsese’s mob masterpiece) went to jail because Henry Hill (Ray Liotta) ratted, almost off-handedly, about a point shaving scandal involving the Boston College basketball team. Hill had been arrested on various drug counts and, in his interviews, casually mentioned the BC story. Once it became clear that the Feds were interested in this to help bring down members of the Lucchese family (remember, Al Capone went down for tax evasion), Hill asked for immunity and ratted on his friends. It had been a successful partnership, for a little. After a rocky start, the syndicate began winning money on Boston College, by betting the Eagles to win games but lose against the spread or fail to cover a big spread in a game they wouldn’t have won anyway.

6. John “Hot Rod” Williams: Before he became a beloved NBA veteran, John “Hot Rod” Williams faced jail time over a 1985 point shaving scandal at Tulane that ended up shuttering the basketball program for four seasons. With a healthy mix of money, cocaine and 1980s-era bravado, five players were accused of shaving points in two games, all for a shared pot of $17,000. Williams twice went to trial – the first was declared a mistrial and the second ended with his acquittal on five counts. He went on to play 13 years in the NBA.

7. Rick Tocchet: The story of Tocchet, an NHL All-Star and Stanley Cup champion, was sordid enough. He pled guilty to involvement with a $2 million gambling ring that took bets from the rich and famous. But Tocchet’s tale took an unexpected turn when the name of Janet Gretzky, wife of the Great One, appeared in the books.

8. Art Schlichter:The fourth pick of the 1982 draft accrued nearly $1 million in gambling debts by the end of his first year in the NFL, by betting various sports including, allegedly, 10 NFL games. (Like Hornung and Karras, Schlichter was never accused of betting on his own team or using his position to influence his wagers.) Schlichter was reinstated in 1984, was out of the league by 1985, never won an NFL game and has spent the last 30 years in and out of jail. His latest offense — a scan selling phony tickets to sporting events — sent him to prison for a decade.

9. Joe Namath: After Super Bowl III, Namath, a playboy bachelor, was the biggest thing in American sports. He decided to capitalize on it by opening a night club named, cleverly, Bachelor III. Mark Kriegel wrote in his biography Namath: “ regulars included con men, fences, bookmakers and of course made men — exactly the kind of guys you’d expect to find in a hot East Side joint.”

Commissioner Pete Rozelle told Namath to sell his interest in the club because of its reputation but, rather than sell, Namath retired instead. He changed his tune one month later after a meeting with Rozelle. On his way out of the commissioner’s apartment, after agreeing to cut ties with his club, Namath was approached by Rozelle’s 11-year-old daughter. “Mr. Namath, I just want you to know that everyone in the Rozelle family doesn’t hate you.”

10. Tim Donaghy: In 2007, an FBI investigation revealed that Tim Donaghy, a longtime NBA referee, had bet on NBA games and fed information to other gamblers after falling into debt. The scandal was both a huge story and quickly faded from the public consciousness, almost like sports fans want to delude themselves into thinking that everything is always on the up and up.

11. Northwestern: Dewey Williams and a teammate were given a brief prison sentence for their role in fixing games during the 1995 season. Why gamblers didn’t trust Northwestern basketball players to simply lose games on their own, as per usual, is the enduring mystery of this tale.

While a weekend in Vegas or an evening in the casino on a cruise ship is fine, a visit to the Kentucky Derby for mint juleps and a little horse betting, and even the NCAA college football pool in which I participate this time every year is just fine, some people have serious gambling addictions. It’s serious because it’s a job to them; it’s not just in fun. Some people lose it all betting and gambling; their life savings, their homes, their families – everything. Many believe just the poor or ‘average’ man or woman is prone to gambling addictions, it’s not the case. Even some of the world’s wealthiest men and women, celebrities even, are addicted to gambling, and it costs them more than they are willing to admit. Read on to find out which of your favorite celebs are notorious gamblers that might border on the line of addictive.

Matt Damon

What’s shocking about him is that he’s such a good guy. He’s such a family man. He likes to be with his wife and his daughters, and he likes to stay out of the press. So the fact that he was part of a multi-million dollar gambling ring that played in high-end hotels and private homes of the world’s wealthiest men and women is astounding. What’s even more astounding is that he was sued for it. What’s even more astounding is that this also involved two of his very famous friends, Toby Maguire and Ben Affleck, both of whom are on this list.

Tobey Maguire

Remember him from Spiderman? The soft-spoken, not very outgoing actor that seemed so sweet and innocent? Yes, he’s an addicted gambler. In fact, he was sued back in 2011 when he was caught participating in an illegal poker ring that runs in the multi-millions. His addictions have not been good for him, but he’s been very outspoken about them and his love of playing poker on many occasions.

Shannon Elizabeth

If you don’t recognize her name by itself, you definitely recognize her face from “American Pie”. She is such an avid poker player that there are rumors in Hollywood that she runs an illegal poker ring from her home. It’s not been proven but that’s how much she loves to gamble, and some people would consider that a bit of an issue if it really has caused her to begin an illegal gambling ring.

Charles Barkley

He will forever be remembered as one of the greatest NBA players of all time, and that’s why we love him. However, he’s admitted to the press that he has a gambling addiction. He spoke of how his addiction to betting and gambling has cost him more than $10 million to date. You’d think that would be enough to make him realize it is not a profitable adventure to stick with, but he’s still at it. It’s addictive.

Ray Romano

Everybody does love Raymond, but they do not love that he suffers from a serious gambling addiction. He once opened up and stated that the character he played in “Men of a Certain Age,” who was overcoming a gambling addiction was based on his own personal life struggles. No one would have guessed that he had such a gambling problem, but he does. Well, he did; it’s assumed that he’s overcome his issues or at least worked through the most difficult aspect.

Gladys Knight

She is one of the most famous songstresses in the world, and she was addicted to gambling. When she spoke of her addiction in her autobiography, many people were shocked. She doesn’t seem like the betting type, the gambling type, but she is, and she was. She battled her issues for more than 10 years, and she seeks help for her addictions regularly when temptation strikes.

Famous Athlete Gambling Sites

Ben Affleck

Famous Athlete Gambling Games

Did you know that aside from the fact that his marriage is over and he’s facing allegations of cheating on soon-to-be ex-wife Jennifer Garner with the nanny, Ben Affleck also lived with a gambling addiction? He went to rehab back in 2001 for his gambling and alcohol addictions, and while we have to assume that he’s all right, we can’t be positive.

Michael Jordan

We have some athletes already on this list; some of them very good athletes that will be remembered in the very distant future. These are men whose names everyone knows and will never forget; yet they battle serious personal demons. Michael Jordan is the most famous NBA star of all time. And he has a gambling addiction. Did you know that when he retired back in the early 90s from the game, it was rumored that his retirement was a result of a serious gambling problem that he had back then? We don’t know what happened to him, how he overcame his issues and how he got back on track, but it’s been said his gambling issue was very serious.

Michael Phelps

He’s an Olympic gold medalist and a phenomenal swimmer, and many people fear that he has a gambling addiction. It’s not a big secret that he spends a great deal of time around a table betting, but rumor has it that his ‘fun’ hobby is now more of a dangerous addiction than anything else. Given his recent issues in the press, too, it might drive him to further lose himself in the process.

Charlie Sheen

You know, I’m going to be very honest here and state that if he has a gambling problem, it’s probably the least of his problems. This particular actor is one of the most crazed actors with some of the biggest personal issues I can recall. If he’s gambling, at least he’s not doing anything even more inappropriate. Not that we condone gambling. His ex-wife Denise Richards once told officials in court documents that Sheen spent – at that time – around $20,000 per week on sports bets.

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