Taiwanese professional basketball match-fixing scandal

The Taiwanese professional basketball match-fixing scandal, also known as the SBL match-fixing scandal, is a Taiwanese social case that broke out in October 2023. More than ten staff members of the Yulon Luxgen Dinos of the Super Basketball League (SBL) were investigated and indicted by prosecutors and police authorities. Multiple players, including Ko Min-hao, the league's Most Valuable Player, were suspected of placing bets, collectively fixing matches, and manipulating underground gambling outcomes.[1]

Background

The 20th season of the Super Basketball League began with warm-up games in late 2022 and concluded in May 2023. Following the disbandment of Kaohsiung 9Ta Technology in May 2022, the league was left with only four teams: Bank of Taiwan, Yulon Luxgen, Taiwan Beer, and Changhua BLL (Pure Youth Construction).[1]

Yulon Luxgen ultimately won both the regular season championship and the playoff championship. Yulon player Ko Min-hao was named Regular Season Most Valuable Player, while Bamba received the Finals Most Valuable Player award.[1]

Taiwan's government-regulated legal sports betting platform, Taiwan Sports Lottery, had previously offered betting markets on the Super Basketball League. However, it did not open betting for the 20th SBL season, which was later implicated in the match-fixing scandal, nor did it allow betting on Taiwan's other two major professional basketball leagues, the T1 League and P. LEAGUE+. As a result, illegal underground basketball gambling markets—commonly referred to as “ball boards” (球版)—became widespread.[2]

Course of Events

Investigation

In October 2023, Taiwanese media outlet Mirror Media reported that former Yulon Luxgen player Wu Ji-ying, who transferred to Taiwan Beer after the season, had left Yulon due to involvement in underground gambling and match-fixing activities commonly known as “ball boards.” The report alleged that players’ on-court behavior in multiple games during the 20th SBL season was highly abnormal.[3]

In November 2023, the Shilin District Prosecutors Office intervened and summoned more than ten Yulon team staff members for questioning.[4] Players directly involved were terminated by Yulon Luxgen and permanently barred from future employment. Players from other teams who were suspected of betting participation, Chen Jing-huan and Luo Zhen-feng, were also dismissed by their respective clubs.[5]

The Yulon case concluded its investigation on February 2, 2024, with a total of 15 individuals indicted for violating Article 21 of the Sports Lottery Issuance Act (match-fixing and gambling fraud), as well as gambling-related offenses. Among them, 10 were players, and the case was transferred to the Shilin District Court for trial.[6]

The alleged ringleader, Yulon Luxgen player Ko Min-hao, was detained for 235 days before being released on bail on July 10, 2024.[7][8]

On November 17, 2025, the Shilin District Court rendered its first-instance verdict, finding all 15 defendants guilty and sentencing them to prison terms ranging from 8 months to 7 years. Bamba was ordered to be deported after completing his sentence.[7][8]

In August 2024, following expanded investigations by the Sixth Investigation Corps of the Criminal Investigation Bureau, National Police Agency, two players from Changhua BLL during the 2023 season—Shi Yan-zong and Chen Yi-lun—were found to have allegedly participated in gambling and coordinated with Yulon players to deliberately lose games. The case was separately investigated by the Changhua District Prosecutors Office.[9][10]

The BLL case concluded its investigation on December 20, 2024, with both individuals indicted for violating Article 21 of the Sports Lottery Issuance Act and gambling offenses. The case was transferred to the Changhua District Court for trial.[9][10]

On May 28, 2025, the court issued a first-instance verdict, sentencing Shi Yan-zong to 1 year and 7 months in prison with a 3-year suspended sentence, and Chen Yi-lun to 1 year and 6 months with a 3-year suspended sentence. No appeal was filed, and the verdict became final and binding.[9][10]

Match-fixing methods

From December 27, 2022, to May 21, 2023, during the warm-up games and regular season of the 20th Super Basketball League, players including Wu Ji-ying and Ko Min-hao placed bets on at least dozens of matches through underground gambling websites, in coordination with a bookmaker surnamed Qiu, who had previously served as an assistant coach for Kaohsiung 9Ta Technology.

  • The match-fixing tactics employed by participating players included:
  • deliberately not executing coaching strategies during games,
  • taking absurd or illogical shots,
  • intentionally making bad passes,
  • deliberately refusing to pass the ball,
  • intentionally allowing steals,
  • deliberately missing free throws,
  • suddenly increasing pass frequency without tactical reason,
  • choosing irrational shooting timing,
  • intentionally dribbling out of bounds, and
  • allowing opponents to score easily.

These actions were used to manipulate game outcomes and point differentials, creating unexpected upsets and enabling insiders to obtain substantial profits through underground gambling operations.[6][4][11] In addition, Wu Ji-ying's girlfriend, Huang Pin-xuan, was sentenced in the first instance to 1 year in prison with a 2-year suspended sentence. A friend surnamed You received 9 months with a 2-year suspended sentence, a friend surnamed Zhang received 8 months, and a friend surnamed Qiu received 1 year with a 2-year suspended sentence.[12][13]

References

  1. ^ a b c "裕隆相隔12年自力封王奪隊史SBL第6冠 班霸FMVP、柯旻豪MVP" [Yulon team won their 6th SBL championship after a 12-year hiatus, with the team's FMVP and Ko Min-hao winning the MVP award.]. Yahoo News (in Chinese). 2023-05-21. Retrieved 2025-12-24.
  2. ^ "台籃涉賭風暴／PLG、T1為何都不開盤？　台灣運彩透露真實原因" [Taiwanese basketball betting scandal: Why aren't PLG and T1 offering betting odds? Taiwan Sports Betting reveals the real reason.]. NOWnews今日新聞 (in Chinese). 2023-10-26. Retrieved 2025-12-24.
  3. ^ "【全文】熱戀裕隆小公主、偷賣嚴家名錶 SBL球星爆簽賭打假球醜聞" [[Full Text] SBL star embroiled in scandal involving dating Yulon's daughter, stealing and selling his family's luxury watches, and betting on matches.]. 鏡週刊 Mirror Media (in Traditional Chinese). Retrieved 2025-12-24.
  4. ^ a b "吳季穎涉假球案擴大偵辦 SBL裕隆教練李啟億等10多人遭約談" [The investigation into Wu Chi-ying's alleged match-fixing case has been expanded, and more than 10 people, including SBL Yulon coach Lee Chi-yi, have been summoned for questioning.]. 中央社 CNA (in Chinese). 2023-11-17. Retrieved 2025-12-24.
  5. ^ "台啤雲豹羅振峰坦承簽賭SBL賽事 遭球團解約" [Taiwan Beer Cloud Leopards' Luo Zhenfeng admits to signing a betting agreement for SBL matches, resulting in his contract being terminated by the team.]. 中央社 CNA (in Chinese). 2023-10-24. Retrieved 2025-12-24.
  6. ^ a b "涉假球與簽賭案 10球員逐出籃壇永不錄用" [Ten players involved in match-fixing and betting scandals have been expelled from the basketball world and permanently banned from playing.]. 公視新聞網 PNN (in Traditional Chinese). 2023-11-22. Retrieved 2025-12-24.
  7. ^ a b "SBL簽賭打假球案被關235日 柯旻豪50萬元交保限住居" [Ko Min-hao, implicated in SBL match-fixing and betting scandal, was detained for 235 days and released on bail of NT$500,000 with a stay-at-home order.]. www.upmedia.mg (in Chinese). Retrieved 2025-12-24.
  8. ^ a b "裕隆假球案一覽表！「MVP主導」10球員涉放水 還能拿SBL總冠軍" [List of Yulon's match-fixing scandals! "MVP-led" 10 players implicated in throwing games, yet still managed to win the SBL championship.]. www.ettoday.net (in Traditional Chinese). 2023-11-18. Retrieved 2025-12-24.
  9. ^ a b c "SBL假球案擴大 彰化柏力力2前球員也涉賭" [The SBL match-fixing scandal has expanded, with former players from Changhua's Paribas 2 also implicated in gambling.]. 公視新聞網 PNN (in Traditional Chinese). 2024-09-30. Retrieved 2025-12-24.
  10. ^ a b c "SBL假球風波延續！柏力力施顏宗、陳奕綸涉簽賭獲利10萬元" [The SBL match-fixing scandal continues! P&G's Yen Tsung and Chen Yi-lun are implicated in a betting scheme that netted them NT$100,000 in profits.]. 中時新聞網 (in Chinese (Taiwan)). 2024-09-30. Retrieved 2025-12-24.
  11. ^ "職籃假球案手法曝光！ 吳季穎聯手前女友海撈3000萬賭金" [The methods used in the professional basketball match-fixing scandal have been exposed! Wu Chi-ying and his ex-girlfriend amassed 30 million NTD in gambling funds.]. www.upmedia.mg (in Chinese). Retrieved 2025-12-24.
  12. ^ "SBL史上最大假球簽賭案判決出爐！昔MVP柯旻豪7年判最重" [The verdict in the biggest match-fixing case in SBL history has been announced! Former MVP Ko Min-hao received the heaviest sentence, a 7-year term.]. 聯合新聞網 (in Chinese). Retrieved 2025-12-24.
  13. ^ "SBL職籃假球案宣判！柯旻豪徒刑7年、斑霸5年2月" [SBL professional basketball match-fixing case verdict announced! Ko Min-hao sentenced to 7 years in prison, Banba to 5 years and 2 months.].
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