Report: UNM football's loss to UNLV under investigation for 'suspicious' gambling activity

Dec. 6—Action Network's Brett McMurphy reported on Wednesday that gambling commission authorities in "multiple states" are investigating New Mexico football's 56-14 loss to UNLV on Nov. 4 for "suspicious and/or abnormal betting activity."

McMurphy reported that an alert was sent out by "independent integrity monitors" before kickoff to notify sportsbooks of potentially suspicious activity targeting UNM.

The alert in question was triggered by a "large U.S. sportsbook" who noticed unusual wagering activity around the game, McMurphy wrote.

U.S. Integrity, a sports-betting compliance firm, is partnered with the Mountain West to investigate potential patterns. UNM Athletic Director Eddie Nuñez was contacted by the firm approximately a week after the game.

"The University of New Mexico is aware of an ongoing review by U.S. Integrity of our November 4, 2023 football game against UNLV," Nuñez told the Journal on Wednesday night. "We are cooperating fully with the Mountain West conference. To date, there is no indication of any misconduct and we look forward to the conclusion of the review."

After opening as a 10.5-point favorite, the Rebels easily covered a closing 16.5-point spread as a slew of special teams and defensive errors undid the Lobos in a 42-point loss. UNLV led 35-7 at halftime and effectively put the game away with wide receiver Ricky White's 58-yard touchdown, making it 49-7 early in the third quarter.

"It was a game we took control of early, but looking back, I don't remember anything to cause me to believe (there was anything wrong)," UNLV head coach Barry Odom told McMurphy and Action Network. "I knew if we could score to open the second half, I felt like we could break open the game and take complete control."

McMurphy's report indicated that multiple accounts were created for the sole purpose of wagering on the UNM-UNLV game, typically viewed as a red flag among sportsbooks and integrity firms. Also, the six-point jump in point spread from open to kickoff was unusual.

Danny Gonzales was the head coach for UNM's 56-14 loss to UNLV. After his dismissal on Nov. 25, Bronco Mendenhall was formally announced as the Lobos' next head coach on Wednesday morning.