The NCAA has started a probe into betting irregularities, AL.com reported Tuesday, after suspicious sports wagering activity was detected in Ohio in connection with a recent baseball game between Alabama and LSU.
ESPN reported Monday that Ohio gambling regulators had asked the state’s licensed sportsbooks to stop taking wagers specifically on Alabama games. An independent monitoring group had detected wagering irregularities, with a betting location at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati that had come into question.
According to NOLA.com, one questionable wager was a parlay that included LSU defeating Alabama. Another was a large single-game wager on LSU defeating Alabama. LSU earned an 8-6 victory Friday during the game in question after it led 8-1 through seven innings.
“Just because it was a suspicious activity doesn’t necessarily mean there was any kind of illegal activity,” Louisiana Gaming Control Board chairman Ronnie Johns told NOLA.com. “We just don’t know yet. There are red flags in terms of sports betting that go up when you see a large bet like that, kind of an isolated bet.”
Alabama’s Luke Holman (5-2, 3.15 ERA) was supposed to start Friday’s game vs. LSU, but an hour before the game, Hagan Banks (1-1, 3.33) was named the starter. It was Banks’ second start in 11 appearances.
“The NCAA takes sports wagering very seriously and is committed to the protection of student-athlete well-being and the integrity of competition,” the NCAA said in a statement Tuesday to AL.com. “We are aware of this issue and actively gathering additional information.”
Alabama’s next game is Thursday in the opener of a three-game home series against Vanderbilt. The Crimson Tide are 30-15 overall this season and 9-12 in SEC play.
–Field Level Media