This past week, federal investigators charged two coaches and a player with involvement in illegal gambling schemes in the NBA, and illegal poker games, involving four mafia families. Terry Rozier, guard for the Miami Heat, has been accused of leaking inside NBA information to gamblers in at least seven games.Trailblazers coach and former Detroit Pistons player, Chauncey Billups is accused of participating in a multi-year scheme to defraud poker players. These games allegedly involved the Bonano, Gambino, Luchese, and Genovese crime families, and date back to 2019, when he was not playing or coaching in the NBA. Both Billups and Rozier are currently on leave. Assistant coach and former Cleveland Cavaliers player Damon Jones has been accused of selling inside information regarding the Los Angeles Lakers to gamblers.
Players in any professional league can make money by illegally gambling through prop bets. A prop bet is a bet placed on the likelihood of an event happening. For example, you could place a prop bet in baseball that the first pitch will be a strike, or you could bet that LeBron James will score 30 points. All of these bets rely on players determining the outcome, so if a player is motivated to win an illegal bet, they can manipulate the game to win. Rozier allegedly manipulated prop bets by taking himself out of a game in 2023. Information sold by Billups and Jones, such as unreleased injury reports, can be used by gamblers to place a prop bet or to bet on a team to win based on who is eligible to play. The NBA has the power to investigate players for illegal bets to protect the integrity of the league. Jontay Porter, a former Raptors player, was investigated and pleaded guilty to manipulating his own performance for prop bets in July of 2024. He received a lifetime ban from playing professional basketball. The NBA also investigated Terry Rozier, who was cleared by NBA investigators, but later charged by federal investigators. The FBI has become involved in the web of sports betting and poker games. In an interview with ESPN, FBI director Kash Patel claims to have made 34 arrests resulting from a yearlong investigation across 11 states. This investigation has cost millions of dollars.
After arresting Billups, Rozier, and Jones, who are awaiting trial, FBI investigators released official charging documents. These documents further identify two men as “Player 2”, a former starter for the Orlando Magic, and “Co-Conspirator 1”, a former NBA player. Fans have speculated on who this might refer to, using the minimal information provided, however no information to confirm their identities has been released. The investigation is still underway, and has raised concern over the integrity of the NBA. Coaches have to double-down on their players’ performance, and fans are left to question what games these players and coaches are involved in that led to a real win or loss, or if the game was manipulated to win a bet. However, only three arrests have recently been made out of approximately 1000 coaches, players, and staff of the league, showing that the NBA remains a professional league of basketball.
