Arkansas fixer faces 45 years in prison after guilty plea in college basketball betting case

Rodrick Winkler pleaded guilty in federal court on Monday to charges of bribery and wire fraud related to a scheme to manipulate NCAA Division I basketball games. The 32-year-old from Arkansas admitted to conspiring to influence outcomes in games played between September 2022 and February 2025.

Court filings describe Winkler as a fixer who recruited and paid college players to underperform. His goal was to ensure their teams failed to cover the betting spread. The scheme involved 39 players from 17 different teams who fixed or tried to fix 29 games.

Winkler and other fixers typically offered players between $10,000 and $30,000 per game. The manipulation led to more than $3 million in fraudulent wagers placed on the games. Sportsbooks across the country lost more than $1.1 million as a result.

The guilty plea follows a January indictment that named 26 people. That group included more than a dozen college basketball players who attempted to fix games. Investigators also found that the schemers had previously profited from fixing games in the Chinese Basketball Association before shifting their focus to the NCAA.

Winkler is scheduled for sentencing on February 8. He faces a maximum sentence of 45 years in prison. The court may also impose three years of supervised release and a fine.