15 guilty of game-fixing, betting on semi-pro basketball games

Taipei, Nov. 17 (CNA) The Taiwan Shilin District Court on Monday handed guilty verdicts to 15 individuals, including ten former players, for their involvement in game-fixing and gambling on semi-professional Super Basketball League (SBL) games.

The ten Yulon Luxgen Dinos players conspired to fix the scores in six matches between February and April 2023, the court found.

￭ 15 indicted for game-fixing, betting in semi-pro basketball league

Eight of the defendants were found guilty of gambling, while one was found guilty of providing a platform for gambling with the intention of making a profit between December 2022 and April 2023, the court said.

The court determined that former player Ko Min-hao (柯旻豪) was at the core of the criminal activities and handed him a seven-year sentence.

The other players, including Wu Chi-ying (吳季穎), Chiu Chung-po (邱忠博), Chen Pin-chuan (陳品銓), Huang Hsuan-min (黃鉉閔), Wu Yu-jen (吳祐任), Chou Wei-chen (周暐宸), Yen Wen-tso (顏聞佐), Lee Chi-en (李其恩), and Cheikh Ahmadou Bamba Sarr, a Senegalese national, received sentences ranging from one year and eight months to five years and two months.

The other five defendants were Chiu Chi-wei (邱繼緯), an underground bookmaker, as well as acquaintances of Wu Chi-ying, who helped him to place bets on the gambling website, and were given sentences ranging from eight months to two years.

The rulings can be appealed.

The court said that Ko took advantage of his position and influence as a veteran on the team and recruited younger players for the scheme.

The other players complied, hindering fair play and corrupting Taiwan's professional basketball development, the court said.

Considering that Wu Chi-ying confessed to wrongdoing and provided important evidence and statements, the court handed him a lenient sentence of two years, which can be suspended for five years.

The bookmaker and four acquaintances also admitted to the crime, with the four receiving suspended sentences, the court said.

The court ruled that Senegalese player Bamba Sarr is unfit to remain in Taiwan following his prison sentence and will be deported after serving his term.

The court is also reporting defendant Chou for perjury, as his signed statement during the investigative stage diverged greatly from his trial testimony.