massive sports betting scandal unravels with nba stars

On Thursday, Oct. 23, authorities announced that 34 people had been arrested on charges of sports betting and rigged poker games. Sports betting is an industry that brings in almost 14 billion dollars a year, making scandals like this a serious concern. In 2018, the Supreme Court ended a law that banned most sports betting; now it is a fast-growing industry. Such a wide reaching scandal that involves multiple prominent sports figures calls into question the whole industry and the integrity of professional sports. The recent arrests are the culmination of an investigation that began in March of 2023. The FBI multi-million dollar investigation has spanned 11 states and has unearthed the involvement of multiple organized crime networks and mafia families. The NBA players and former players accused in the investigation are Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat player Terry Rozier, and Damon Jones, a former player who played for ten different teams over the course of his career and, after his retirement, became an assistant coach. These three are not the only accused; the list stretches from informants, organized crime members, participants in the rigged poker games, people providing technology, money launderers, and participants in rigged online sports betting. The poker rings stole about seven million dollars from their victims, and the fraudulent betting is estimated to be in the tens of millions. Rozier is accused of providing insider information about NBA games to betting rings and making fraudulent and illegal bets on the games. Because players have crucial insider knowledge of the games, their honor and integrity are of utmost importance to a fair betting field. Rozier has played for the Boston Celtics, the Charlotte Hornets, and his current team, the Miami Heat. Part of the information he is accused of providing is insider information on his switch from the Charlotte Hornets to the Miami Heat. The official charges that Rozier was arrested on were conspiracy to commit fraud and conspiracy to money laundering. He was arrested at the Miami Heat’s hotel on Oct. 23, and his bond was posted at six million dollars. His next court appearance is Dec. 8. Billups and Jones are both accused of being a part of the poker rings where rigged card shufflers and X-ray tables were used to allow the organizers to scam players. Billups and Jones served as the faces of the operation to lure people to the games and then they would take a cut of the money. These poker rings are where the Mafia was involved. Jones has been released on a 200 thousand dollar bail and Billups is scheduled to appear in federal court on Nov. 24. Four separate mafia families were involved in the poker games: the Bananno, Gambino, Lucchese, and Genovese crime families. All of whom are affiliated with the New York area and make up four of the five ruling mafia families in New York. Organized crime has long sought to foster close relationships with athletes, the sports betting industry has been a perfect opportunity. Christopher Smith (’13), a Samo alumnus and current basketball coach at the school, shares his thoughts on the scandal.

“I would say it calls the integrity of sports betting as less than the sport, because when you open the world to being able to bet on things, people are going to try to manipulate it so that it would be in their best interest. I think with the sport itself, I think if they did a better job with reminding players that illegal betting is going to potentially cost them their careers, then less people would do it.” Smith said.

This is the most recent sports betting scandal, but it is by no means the only. The industry is ripe for fraud, and since the lifting of the ban on sports betting, there have been multiple scandals, with the NFL having to ban several players. The motive for the players’ involvement is still in question. With such successful careers, astonishingly, these NBA stars would throw away their legacies and threaten the integrity of their sport. The case is in no means over with Jones pleading not guilty to both of the charges he is accused of, and with Rozier and Billups’ lawyers making statements denying their involvement, there is still a long road between now and a final decision on this case.