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Another shoe has dropped in the NBA betting world. We now have a second NBA player and the first NBA coach to be involved an illegal gambling scandal. One story is par for the course, but the other is something out of a movie.
Of course, we’re talking about Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups. We’re not breaking any news here — it’s the top story in not just the betting world, but sports too. However, we would like to connect the dots. This story is interconnected, and likely deeper than anyone one of us can imagine. Keep reading, and we’ll break it down.
34 People Arrested By FBI
The FBI, led by Director Kash Patel, held a press conference on the morning of October 23. They announced the arrest of 34 different people connected to illegal betting schemes.
The most well-known people arrested were Rozier and Billups since they are active in the NBA. Rozier plays for the Miami Heat, and Billups is the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers. Another known name arrested was Damon Jones, a former NBA player and coach.
But… don’t think this was just NBA players. No, no, this is where things take a Hollywood-like twist. Also involved in the bust were members of four different Mafia families (the Bonanno, Gambino, Lucchese, and Genovese crime families, to be exact). Yes, mafia— Sopranos style.
Patel said it was a yearlong investigation that covered 11 states. No dollar amount was given besides saying “millions” and also “mind-boggling” amounts of fraud.
Rozier Fraud Is More Of The Same
Rumors about Rozier’s involvement have been around for months. We mean, the NBA was investigating him, but cleared him earlier this year. Well, the FBI is saying he’s definitely involved. The accusations levied against the long-time NBA veteran? Rigging prop bets. Not games, but just individual performances by himself.
The main game in question was in March 23, 2023, a game that featured the Charlotte Hornets (Rozier’s team at the time) and New Orleans Pelicans. A sudden surge of wagers hit the board — 30 bets in just 46 minutes from one professional bettor, totaling $13,759 — all on the under for Terry Rozier’s points, rebounds, and assists. This triggered an alert, and the top sports betting apps took off the bet.
Sure enough, Rozier left the game 10 minutes in with a foot injury. He was not listed in the injury report before the game. Because of the early exit, those unders all hit. The FBI alleges the money made from these bets was counted at Rozier’s house by the involved individuals.
This scheme sound familiar? It’s because it’s eerily similar to what Jontay Porter did. The ex-Raptor would exit games early to cash in prop bets. He was banned from the NBA for life when it was discovered that a bettor linked to him had placed an $80,000 wager that Porter would fall short of his prop.
Now the FBI is not saying the two cases are related. They might be, all we’re pointing out is the methods are nearly identical. Porter was banned, so you’d think Rozier would get the same treatment IF found guilty. Remember, these are only accusations right now. With that said, the accusations against Billups are even wilder…
Billups Was Rigging Poker Games
Billups, on the other hand, wasn’t rigging NBA games or props. No, he was just a massive pawn inside an illegal poker ring.
According to authorities, the mafia used Billups and other famous players to rig poker games against high-spending individuals. How did they rig such games? Using rigged card-shuffling machines and X-ray tech to read cards. We’re telling you, this is a page out of Hollywood.
And when taken-advantage-of players refused to pay, mobsters stepped in to “handle” it — allegedly with violence. The FBI says these games stretched back to 2019 and resulted in $7 million for the fraudsters.
Billups’ arrest was more shocking. These are fresh allegations, and he has quite the resume. Besides being an active head coach, we’re talking about a Hall of Famer and one-time NBA Finals MVP.
But he’s not the only coach involved in the scheme. Remember Damon Jones? He played in the league for 10 seasons, but most recently, was an assistant coach on the Lakers staff. The FBI says Jones sold information on players injuries to bettors during this LA stint. While not mentioned by name, one case seemingly involved LeBron James sitting out a game (James is not involved, only Jones passing that info on to bettors).
Oddly enough, the FBI says Jones was also involved in the poker scheme too. They didn’t get into the specifics of how, though.
Don’t Blame The Sportsbooks
Spoiler alert: you’re going to hear the mass media blame the proliferation of legal sports betting and bookies for the scandal. They’ll say, “all these betting ads are raising the incentives to cheat.”
We’re here to say this narrative is faulty. Of anything, legalized betting is what EXPOSED these misdeeds in the first place. Top apps have specific departments to spot these weird betting behaviors. None of that would exist if betting weren’t regulated.
This got us to think, how much of past sports games were rigged? It would’ve been much easier to pull this off when betting was still being done solely under the table and offshore. You have to wonder, right?
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