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The sports betting industry keeps getting rocked with the torrent of betting scandals across pro and college leagues. Missouri is finally opening the gates for sports betting on December 1, and Florida’s AG is pushing for felony crackdowns on criminal activities relating to gambling.
TL;DR: A Bite-sized Overview:
- Penn and ESPN Bet part ways: Terminates $2B deal early, rebrands to theScore Bet; DraftKings becomes ESPN BET's new partner.
- Missouri flips the switch: Sportsbooks like DraftKings, Caesars, and bet365 began accepting registrations ahead of today’s online sports betting launch.
- Senate grills MLB: Probes Guardians pitchers' undetected pitch-rigging amid betting scandal.
- NBA digs deeper into betting scandal: Seizes Lakers' phones in insider betting scandal involving Billups, Rozier, and Jones.
- NCAA drops the banhammer: Lifetime bans for six college basketball players in game-fixing schemes.
- NCAA U-turns: Keeps complete athlete betting ban amidst betting scandals.
- Florida AG's call for stricter punishment: Urges felony upgrades for illegal gambling tied to the Mafia and match-fixing.
Penn Entertainment Ends ESPN Partnership, Rebrands to ‘theScore Bet’ as DraftKings Becomes New Sportsbook Partner of ESPN BET
Penn Entertainment and ESPN have mutually terminated their 10-year, $2 billion sports betting partnership eight years ahead of schedule, effective December 1, 2025.
Launched in November 2023, ESPN Bet never managed to threaten the DraftKings-FanDuel duopoly, peaking at roughly 3% US market share, well below internal targets of 10-20%. Without digging into the details, it’s fair to blame a late market entry, a subpar product (until recent upgrades), and the shadow of Penn’s failed Barstool Sportsbook experiment.
Penn will rebrand its US sportsbook to theScore Bet starting today, on December 1, leveraging their 2021 acquisition of the Canadian sports media and betting brand.
Hours after the split, ESPN named DraftKings its exclusive sportsbook and odds provider, starting on the same December 1 date.
Missouri Sportsbooks Opened Pre-Registration Ahead of Today’s December 1 Launch
Missouri’s online sports betting market officially launches statewide today on December 1, 2025. Already last month, major sportsbooks opened pre-registration with aggressive early-bird bonuses, for example:
- Bet365 entered as its 16th state, backed by a multi-year partnership with the St. Louis Cardinals. Pre-registrants who deposit and wager $10 by December 15 unlock $365 in bonus bets plus ‘Early Payout’ features.
- Caesars launched sign-ups offering five 100% Profit Boost Tokens for any $5+ deposit before launch, $150 bonus bets if a first $5+ wager wins, and the state’s first Day-1 Universal Digital Wallet. Retail books open at Harrah’s Kansas City and Horseshoe St. Louis.
- DraftKings, operating under a rare direct mobile license with no local casino tether, joins as its 29th jurisdiction. The company is leveraging existing Chiefs and Blues partnerships. It will host a ceremonial first-bet event in St. Louis featuring Tony Gonzalez, Isaac Bruce, and Brett Hull, as well as a $50,000 donation to the Veterans Community Project.
FanDuel, Fanatics, and Bally Bet have also activated pre-registration. Players who created accounts in November can access mobile betting when Missouri flips the switch at 12:01 after midnight.
US Senate Probes MLB Over Undetected Pitch-Rigging Scandal
The US Senate Commerce Committee has launched an investigation into Major League Baseball's gambling safeguards, demanding answers from Commissioner Rob Manfred on why Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz allegedly rigged pitches undetected for over two years.
In a letter from Chairman Ted Cruz (Republicans, Texas) and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (Democrats, Washington), the senators labeled the indictments a "new integrity crisis," echoing the 1919 Black Sox scandal, and more severe than the 2024 lifetime ban of Tucupita Marcano for $150 million in bets, citing several incidents, including in-game texts and bribes netting $60,000 in fraudulent prop bets.
MLB must respond by December 5 with documents on suspicious activity, including prior gambling probes, communications with betting platforms, mobile device rules, and possible ties to organized crime. The probe follows a similar NBA letter amid rising scandals, warning that cross-league manipulations signal "systemic vulnerability" amidst the growing online sports betting industry.
NBA Deepens Investigations into League Betting Scandal
Meanwhile, the NBA has escalated its investigation into the federal indictment of Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, and former player/coach Damon Jones, who are accused of leaking nonpublic injury and lineup details to bettors for profitable prop wagers.
The league has hired a legal firm to seize phones and records from at least 10 Lakers staffers, including LeBron James's trainer, Mike Mancias, and executive Randy Mims, although neither has been charged.
Prosecutors say the scheme ran from 2023 to 2025, with examples such as Rozier tipping an early exit for $200,000 on “under” bets and a coach sharing rest plans.
Similar to the MLB, the NBA is facing congressional demands for answers. Commissioner Adam Silver has spoken up about federal regulation and circulated a memo on injury-reporting procedures to improve integrity.
NCAA Permanently Bans Six College Basketball Players for Game-Fixing
The NCAA handed lifetime bans to six former Division I men’s basketball players from New Orleans, Mississippi Valley State, and Arizona State for manipulating games, sharing insider info with bettors, and misleading investigators.
New Orleans trio Dae Dae Hunter, Dyquavian Short, and Jamond Vincent allegedly tanked spreads in seven games (late 2024 to early 2025). MVSU’s Donovan Sanders and Alvin Stredic took bribes to throw contests against Tulsa and Alabama A&M, triggering massive betting spikes. Arizona State’s B.J. Freeman fed stats to hit “overs” on spreads.
The NCAA cases link to an ongoing FBI probe that overlaps with the aforementioned betting scandals.
As Expected, the NCAA Keeps a Full Ban on Athlete Sports Betting
The NCAA abruptly halted a proposed rule change that would have let college athletes and staff bet on professional sports, with Division I members voting overwhelmingly on November 21, 2025, to preserve the blanket prohibition during a 30-day review window.
The measure, which passed the DI cabinet with under 75% support, was rescinded by more than two-thirds of schools before the November 24 deadline, extending the ban to all sports wagering across Divisions I, II, and III.
Officials cited surging betting scandals as a key factor, including the recent lifetime bans outlined above.
Florida AG Pushes to Upgrade Illegal Gambling to Felony Status
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier urged lawmakers on November 25, 2025, to reclassify operating illegal gambling rings from a misdemeanor to a felony, slamming current penalties as inadequate against multimillion-dollar criminal syndicates.
“Right now, people can stand to make millions off of unlawful gambling operations and just end up with a slap on the wrist, a misdemeanor,” Uthmeier said. “This is not sending the right message, and it is not enough of a deterrent to stop this illegal behavior.”
He linked the push to rising ties between illegal betting and crimes like money laundering and racketeering, spotlighting recent federal busts across professional sports, involving Mafia-run networks.