A gambling integrity firm is investigating Eastern Michigan's men's basketball program after reports surfaced of unusual gambling activity during two Eastern Michigan games this season.
The most recent incident occurred during Tuesday's game between Eastern Michigan and Central Michigan and highlighted the concerns of sportsbooks and regulators.
On Wednesday, Integrity Compliance 360 issued an alert warning of suspicious betting patterns.
The warning detailed that a bettor attempted to place his largest bet to date against Central Michigan in order to cover the spread in the first half of the game against Eastern Michigan.
“During the investigation, the operator discovered two other large wagers from two accounts located in different jurisdictions, both with spreads in the first half of Central Michigan.” According to ESPN, the warning read:.
Additionally, two high-stakes bets in the same market were noted in Connecticut and Tennessee.
That activity prompted sportsbooks and the Mid-American Conference, which includes EMU and CMU, to begin reviews.
Tuesday's game marked the second time this season that an Eastern Michigan game was flagged due to unfavorable betting.
A similar warning was issued during a game against Wright State on Dec. 21, where high stakes were placed on how Wright State's first half would play out against Eastern Michigan.
Wright State led EMU 38-27 at halftime of the game, and EMU went on to win 86-82.
Eastern Michigan said it is working with the Mid-American Conference and other regulatory agencies.
“We were made aware of this issue on Wednesday and it is under review,” a spokesperson for Eastern Michigan said in a statement. told ESPN in a statement.. “At this time, we do not know anything about what caused the suspicious activity. We are working with the Mid-American Conference and will provide further details as we receive more information.”
Movements in point spreads are also causing concern.
In Tuesday's game, Central Michigan's first-half line started at -3.5 and rose to -6.5 just before tipoff.
Central Michigan ultimately led 39-33 at halftime.
First-half betting has emerged as the focus of extensive investigation, with sportsbooks excluding these markets from some matches.
“The fact that the half ended higher than the full game couldn't be a bigger red flag,” a Las Vegas bookmaker told ESPN.
