The National Basketball Association (NBA) has been racked with news coverage of gambling and sportsbetting scandals. Head coach for the Portland Trail Blazers Chancery Billups was arrested under charges of indictment related to a large scheme of rigged underground poker games backed by the Mafia. Terry Rozier, guard for the Miami Heat, was also arrested, on charges related to fraud and illegal betting. A former NBA player and coach, Damon Jones, was arrested on charges related to rigged poker games and involvement with sports betting. These cases have been grouped together in the news as the FBI shared the news of the arrests together in an announcement October 23, but the FBI has stressed that these are separate cases that have some overlap.
In total 34 people were arrested after an investigation lasting years and spanning several states. Law officials have reported the gambling charges involve four Mafia families and organized crime networks.
Terry Rozier faces accusations of participating in an illegal betting scheme by sharing private NBA information. He is accused of removing himself from at least one game for the sake of gambling and sports bets. The game occurred in 2023 between the New Orleans Pelicans and the Charlotte Hornets, when Rozier was a player for the latter. Kash Patel, FBI director, says, “this is the insider trading saga for the NBA.” Rozier was previously investigated in 2023 by the NBA under suspicion of betting on his proposition (prop) bets, which are bets on player statistics and performance or specific events, but the league concluded he did not violate any NBA rules.
The case evolved from a case involving former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter, who was banned in 2024 from the NBA due to accusations of involvement in a gambling scheme around player prop bets. He has admitted to manipulation of his performance in two games in the 2023-2024 NBA season. Two of the conspirators involved in this case are named in the poker indictment. Both Rozier and Porter are accused of altering their performance or intentionally removing themselves from games for the sake of prop bets.
Both Billups and Rozier were arrested under charges of wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy. The NBA have placed them on leave from their teams. In a statement the NBA said they “take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority.” After their arrests, Billups and Rozier appeared in courts in Oregon and Florida, respectively, and were released under certain conditions. Billups is set to appear in Brooklyn federal courthouse on November 28. Rozier is scheduled to appear on December 8.
Damon Jones pleaded not guilty to charges that he profited off of rigged poker games and involvement with passing private information regarding injuries of NBA stars Lebron James and Anthony Davis to sport betters while he worked as an unofficial assistant coach to the Los Angeles Lakers.
The scandal has rocked the trust of many NBA fans, some saying the emotional contract between fans and the league is at risk. It is hard for fans to trust a sport where they do not know if what they are viewing is raw and unfiltered. Lifelong fan of the NBA Sarah Gallagher ‘26 says the scandal “ruins the integrity of the sport” and will change how she watches sports in general.
A scandal such as this is not new to the NBA: in 2007, referee Tim Donaghy was caught betting on the games he officiated and manipulating his calls for his bets.
This scandal comes at a time when sports betting has been on the rise. The American Gaming Association reported Americans bet nearly $150 billion on sports alone in 2024, which was a 22.2% increase from 2023. The NBA has major partnerships with betting companies, including Fanfuel, DraftKings, and Bet MGM, often advertising during televised game broadcasts.
The Senate Commerce Committee is working to find answers on this scandal. On November 5, NBA staff members met with congressional staff members to inform Congress about the league’s involvement with the issues regarding the gambling scandals.
League sources have said the NBA is headed towards changing the rules regarding reporting players’ injuries, as a result of the betting scandal, the New York Times reports.
The case continues to evolve. The NBA has recently asked several teams to provide them with cellphones and documents for the investigation. The league is under pressure from Congress to deliver information about the scandal. One of the teams asked is the Los Angeles Lakers, the team Damon Jones spent time with as an unofficial shooting coach.
Image source: ESPN