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Larceny Games: Sports Gambling, Game Fixing and the FBI
Major League Baseball claims it hasn't had a game fixed bygamblers since 1919. Point shaving hasn't admittedly occurred in the NBA since1954. And the NFL publicly states not one of its games has come under outside influence--ever.This league-sponsored history, however, is wrong.
When sports and gambling are mixed, they create a volatilecocktail of corruption, greed, and the very real potential for game fixing. Larceny Games provides the details andnames the names of Hall of Fame athletes who have either bet upon their ownsport or outright thrown games for the benefit of gamblers--and why the sportsleagues have covered-up these incidents.
Often seen as avictimless crime, sports gambling is more than betting $50 on your favoriteteam; it's a multi-billion dollar, illegal and mob-controlled industry. Larceny Games digs into this vastunderworld through interviews with sports gambling insiders and former FBIagents as well as detailing information from more than 400 previouslyunreleased FBI case files relating to sports bribery (the legal term for gamefixing and/or point shaving) to reveal how professional athletes and refereeshave been corrupted into fixing games in the NFL, NBA, MLB, boxing, soccer, andtennis.
When sports and gambling are mixed, they create a volatilecocktail of corruption, greed, and the very real potential for game fixing. Larceny Games provides the details andnames the names of Hall of Fame athletes who have either bet upon their ownsport or outright thrown games for the benefit of gamblers--and why the sportsleagues have covered-up these incidents.
Often seen as avictimless crime, sports gambling is more than betting $50 on your favoriteteam; it's a multi-billion dollar, illegal and mob-controlled industry. Larceny Games digs into this vastunderworld through interviews with sports gambling insiders and former FBIagents as well as detailing information from more than 400 previouslyunreleased FBI case files relating to sports bribery (the legal term for gamefixing and/or point shaving) to reveal how professional athletes and refereeshave been corrupted into fixing games in the NFL, NBA, MLB, boxing, soccer, andtennis.
- GenresSports
360 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2013
9 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
About the author
Brian Tuohy
7 books8 followersBrian Tuohy is America’s leading expert on game fixing in sports and is recognized as a scholarly authority by the United States Supreme Court (seriously). He has written for the likes of Vice Sports, Sports on Earth, Bleacher Report, History Magazine, Paranoia, Music Inc. and worked with the Center for Investigative Reporting to produce an article for Sports Illustrated. He has been a guest on over 200 different national & local radio programs and podcasts, and has spoken at Florida State University, the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University and Columbia College Chicago. Despite all of these accomplishments, the national sports media by and large ignores his work.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 8, 2025
Before reading the the fix is on, the fix is still on and Larceny games I thought fixed sports games were in the past 1919 with the White Sox and the 1950's in college basketball. I don't know why I thought people stopped fixing sports games but, that is what I thought.
My favorite book of the 3 books is The fix is still on. I thought Larceny games was Ok, thought. My favorite chapter in the book was the one talking about the fixing of sports in foreign countries. Such as the fixing of soccer games in Italy, fixing cricket games, fixing of Chinese baseball. I never knew China had a baseball league but, it does. Very interesting chapter.
The book also talked about basketball, baseball, football. That reminds me the book talked about Rumors of Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell which was surprising to me that maybe two of the sports best ever players could have bet on sports.
So I think that Larceny games talked about a lot of interesting things. And I think that every sports fan should read or listen to one of Brian Tuohy's books.
I used to be a big sports fan and listen to sports radio, think about trades my favorite sports team could make. After reading the books I wonder what in the past in sports is real or a fix. For me like one reviewer of one of Brian's book said This book has ruined pro sports for me. I see that as a good thing.
My favorite book of the 3 books is The fix is still on. I thought Larceny games was Ok, thought. My favorite chapter in the book was the one talking about the fixing of sports in foreign countries. Such as the fixing of soccer games in Italy, fixing cricket games, fixing of Chinese baseball. I never knew China had a baseball league but, it does. Very interesting chapter.
The book also talked about basketball, baseball, football. That reminds me the book talked about Rumors of Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell which was surprising to me that maybe two of the sports best ever players could have bet on sports.
So I think that Larceny games talked about a lot of interesting things. And I think that every sports fan should read or listen to one of Brian Tuohy's books.
I used to be a big sports fan and listen to sports radio, think about trades my favorite sports team could make. After reading the books I wonder what in the past in sports is real or a fix. For me like one reviewer of one of Brian's book said This book has ruined pro sports for me. I see that as a good thing.
March 5, 2026
Brian Tuohy dug though a bunch of FOIA records from the FBI and included every single one of them that mentioned a sports team. Every. Single. One. There’s no editing or additional contexts. It’s just a massive list of at times seemingly random, partially redacted reports. Many of which equate to almost conspiratorial anecdotes (an NFL player was second cousins with a bookie. A team lost against the spread five times. Obviously everything was fixed).
It’s written like a manifesto. It’s overwhelming how many half-baked stories and case files there are, but none are particularly well-developed. There are interviews with gamblers and experts, but none really add much because there are just so many case files. A better approach would be to compile the ten or so most convincing cases instead of all of them.
And here’s the thing: he’s probably right. Gambling has (probably) eroded major American sports since the beginning. A decade after this book was published and it’s more believable. It’s just so poorly written that it’s hard to celebrate. This book is like browsing a tv show subreddit and reading the fan theories. Sure SOME of them are probably right, but to find accurate ones you have to wade through piles and piles of slop. SOME of the cases Tuohy presents are probably examples of match fixing. But I had to read a lot of slop to find them.
It’s written like a manifesto. It’s overwhelming how many half-baked stories and case files there are, but none are particularly well-developed. There are interviews with gamblers and experts, but none really add much because there are just so many case files. A better approach would be to compile the ten or so most convincing cases instead of all of them.
And here’s the thing: he’s probably right. Gambling has (probably) eroded major American sports since the beginning. A decade after this book was published and it’s more believable. It’s just so poorly written that it’s hard to celebrate. This book is like browsing a tv show subreddit and reading the fan theories. Sure SOME of them are probably right, but to find accurate ones you have to wade through piles and piles of slop. SOME of the cases Tuohy presents are probably examples of match fixing. But I had to read a lot of slop to find them.
April 25, 2018
Destroyed practically all my heroes.
Well researched, well documented. Brian Tuohy showed example after example of athletes/coaches/owners/officials who had weaknesses exposed by gamblers.
Unlike his earlier book, The Fix Is In in which the author also posits that the leagues actually will fix a game to promote a good story and encourage specatorship, this book is just about the relationships among sports, gambling and the mob.
At 320 pages in I was sorry I love sports so much. But in his final chapter he does give some advice which lends hope to a sports guy like me.
Well researched, well documented. Brian Tuohy showed example after example of athletes/coaches/owners/officials who had weaknesses exposed by gamblers.
Unlike his earlier book, The Fix Is In in which the author also posits that the leagues actually will fix a game to promote a good story and encourage specatorship, this book is just about the relationships among sports, gambling and the mob.
At 320 pages in I was sorry I love sports so much. But in his final chapter he does give some advice which lends hope to a sports guy like me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 16, 2017
Sports fans should be forever grateful and indebted to author Brian Tuohy for opening our eyes to this one simple fact - SPORTS ARE RIGGED. Brian's research efforts and creative writing skills are masterful and second to none.
Mr. Tuohy is a celebrity in his own right, and I'm confident Brian will one day be in the national spotlight for blowing the lid off all things sports by leaving no doubt once and for all that sports are nothing more than scripted entertainment for the masses.
Mr. Tuohy is a celebrity in his own right, and I'm confident Brian will one day be in the national spotlight for blowing the lid off all things sports by leaving no doubt once and for all that sports are nothing more than scripted entertainment for the masses.
November 21, 2013
Awesome book. Slightly disappointed that more recent gambling fixes weren't discussed, but what's here is eye popping. Stuff no other sports writer has ever covered. Made me want to read his other book now.
November 21, 2016
This book ruined professional sports for me.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews