Boys sports teams entangled in sports betting ring

callherdaddy, Swig Editor — April 22, 2025

Eyes on the Prize: Gapparro, Luhvoie, and Cas pose with their sights set on the bag. (Illustrated by callherdaddy)

Sports betting has long been a staple for sports fans, a way for grown men in dive bars to convince themselves they know more about football than the coaches themselves. But as the gambling world evolves, so does its audience — getting younger and younger by the season, and in Oxford Academy's case, much more desperate for boba-buying money. With the rise of apps like PrizePicks, the line between seasoned bettors and AP Calculus students becomes thinner and thinner. The app allows users to build parlays — a type of bet where multiple predictions are combined into a single wager, to win all predictions must be correct, making this a high-risk, high-reward option for bettors.

What seemed like a harmless hobby — a few kids testing their luck with the NBA's top performers — became more than a game day habit. As the thrill of easy money spread, an underground sports betting ring emerged within our outdoor "halls," and with it, improbable alliances amongst all levels of OA boys sports teams and the average Joe AP physics student.

"You know at first it was a joke, something small to help us get our minds off things — next thing we know we're putting $50 on a parlay twice a week," said Junior baseball captain Lowgun Luhvoie.

As the ring grew in popularity, it began impacting teams in ways no one had expected. The boys alongside their coaching staff worked in tandem to help fund team expenses — anything from new equipment and uniforms to their so-called "team bonding events" at the local In-n-Out.

"We did it for the greater good of all boys varsity teams," said boys varsity basketball co-captain Chaybriel Gaparro. "After all, I single-handedly raised $500 to go toward the team Chipotle fund."

With a fruition of funds headed straight toward each squad's yearly savings, coaches seemed to turn a blind eye to such activities, others seemingly encouraging the unethical behavior. With hopes of becoming a more prosperous program in the future, coaches saw the easy thrill of betting as a way to not only build the team's accounts but boost team morale altogether.

Although all coaching staffs have declined to comment, their role in the ring became increasingly apparent after their own athletes' whispers became calls for help.

"We weren't the only ones involved," said boys varsity basketball co-captain, Henry Cas. "Our coaches knew about it and egged us on. We just wanted to relate to them, but it spiraled into the staff placing the bets for us — lost $15 that day"

Currently, an investigation on the so-called "parlay syndicate" is underway with rumors that Netflix is picking up the story for its next Top 10 Today docu-series. Oxford Academy cements its spot in the limelight again, but this time for something other than test scores and California high school rankings.