Federal authorities have arrested more than 30 individuals, including Portland Trail Blazers head coach and Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, in a sweeping FBI crackdown on illegal gambling operations allegedly tied to organized crime.
The arrests stem from two intertwined federal investigations — one targeting insider sports betting within the NBA, and another exposing a nationwide poker game rigging scheme backed by New York’s Mafia families. Officials say the operations generated tens of millions of dollars through wire fraud, money laundering, and extortion.
At a press conference in Brooklyn, FBI Director Kash Patel compared the scandal to “the insider trading saga of professional basketball,” revealing that NBA insiders provided confidential information used to manipulate betting markets.
According to prosecutors, Rozier was among several players who leaked non-public details about game outcomes. In one case from March 2023, he allegedly informed associates that he would leave a game early with an injury — leading to over $200,000 in successful bets placed against his performance targets.
Meanwhile, Billups faces separate charges for participating in a sophisticated poker-rigging operation that defrauded high-profile players. The games, staged in cities such as New York, Las Vegas, and Miami, reportedly used tampered card shufflers and x-ray tables to ensure fixed results.
Authorities said the scheme had deep ties to the Bonanno, Gambino, Lucchese, and Genovese crime families, who took a cut of the profits, enforced payments through threats and violence, and laundered money via cryptocurrency channels. Former Cleveland Cavaliers player and assistant coach Damon Jones was also charged in both indictments.
In response, the NBA placed both Billups and Rozier on administrative leave, emphasizing that “the integrity of the game remains our highest priority.”
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Rozier’s attorney, James Trusty, criticized the prosecution, claiming his client had already been cleared by the league and that “prosecutors are relying on unreliable sources instead of solid evidence.”
Experts believe the arrests could renew scrutiny over the relationship between professional leagues and online sportsbooks, particularly concerning prop bets — wagers that hinge on individual player statistics and are vulnerable to manipulation.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver recently told ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show that the league has urged its betting partners to limit such wagers, advocating for tighter federal oversight of sports betting.
The scandal follows previous gambling-related bans across major sports. Former NBA player Jontay Porter received a lifetime ban in 2024 after manipulating game outcomes for betting gains, while baseball legend Pete Rose was reinstated posthumously earlier this year after decades on MLB’s ineligible list.
Billups, 49, a 2004 NBA Finals MVP and championship winner with the Detroit Pistons, was scheduled to appear in court in Portland. Rozier, 31, who earns $26.6 million this season, was taken into custody in Orlando, Florida, ahead of the Heat’s matchup with the Magic.
