In NBA betting scandal, influencers played an old game in a new form

Saturday, November 8, 2025 11:53 AM
Photo:  CDC Gaming
  • Santul Nerkar, The New York Times

Days after he was charged in one of the National Basketball Association’s biggest gambling scandals, a Mississippi man was back on social media, offering up betting advice to his tens of thousands of followers.

Marves Fairley, a self-described “sports betting consultant” who was arraigned in federal court on Thursday, sells his recommendations to gamblers. For $300 per month, they can purchase a dozen “hand-selected insights,” according to his official website. Ahead of his court date, two of those picks were posted at no cost on his Instagram account, suggesting that the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets would cover their point spreads.