What would you do, to win? Where do you draw the line and how can you know if you’ve crossed it?  Boston court, have charged 50 individuals with trying to game the college admissions system—using money to buy what should be earned, including test scores and athletic scholarships.

Reports allege cheating on entrance exams, and using undue influence to game a variety of entrance results at multiple universities. Among the list of coaches and CEOs, two Hollywood celebrities were named: Felicity Huffman, the 56-year-old star of both Desperate Housewives and American Crime, and Lori Loughlin, of Full House fame. These allegations represent the largest-scale college admissions scandal in U.S. history, with FBI investigations dating back to 2011.

Having the ability to invest up to $75,000 in your child’s SAT scores or to pony up nearly half a million dollars to land a spot on a sports team is impressive, from an earnings standpoint. (Loughlin and her husband allegedly offered bribes of over $500,000 in order to have two daughters classified as members of the USC crew team. Except they didn’t participate in crew, and never had). That that kind of cash could make an interesting contribution as a donor. So these recent allegations beg the question: Why would these celebrities (and others) need to buy admissions influence, athletic scholarships and test scores?

The real victims here are the hard-working students who can’t afford to buy influence. An uneven playing field, where favor is bought, not earned, is nothing new. For example, nepotism is alive and well—but you didn’t have to cheat to be born into your family. Networking and relationships are always going to matter: who you know is often more important than what you don’t. Ambition is rewarded, as it should be—providing that we play by the rules. Today, playing by the rules means aggressively trying not to get caught. Welcome to the “Win At All Costs” culture, where winning is everything, conscience doesn’t count, and fairness is something for those who don’t really want to taste victory.