Sports Betting Scandals: Eroding Public Trust?

A November 2025 survey by Sacred Heart University and GreatBlue Research looked at recent NBA and college betting scandals and their impact on trust in the integrity of professional sports.

    • Four of five U.S. sports gamblers (80.7 percent) were aware of recent NBA gambling investigations. A similar share (79.1 percent) said the reports had impacted their trust in the integrity of NBA games and 38.2 percent said they impacted their trust “a lot.”

    • The scandal divided the betting community; 35.7 percent said they are less likely to bet on NBA games, while 29 percent said the scandal makes them more likely, with 34.6 percent reporting no change. A majority of gamblers 55 and older (52.7 percent) said they were more likely to reduce betting on the NBA. Less than 33 percent of gamblers 18 to 34 felt compelled to limit their bets.

    • Nearly half (46.8 percent) of respondents believed players and coaches should be held most accountable for gambling violations. Twenty percent felt the responsibility lay with leagues, and 13.4 percent pointed to sportsbooks.

In bad news for U.S. sports, three quarters of respondents, 75.1 percent, said they believe gambling corruption extends beyond the NBA, and 75.6 percent questioned the integrity of college athletics.

Support for stronger regulation was overwhelming, with 84 percent favoring stricter oversight. To read the full report, visit sacredheart.edu and search for “sports betting scandals.”