The sports world has been rocked by a probe into illegal gambling on Thursday, as prominent NBA players and coaches are allegedly involved. Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier were arrested in connection to a probe into illegal gambling by the FBI.
Rozier and Billups’ arrests stem from separate incidents. According to ABC News, Billups’ arrest is reportedly centered around an illegal poker operation tied to the Mafia, and not to games that he coached in for the Blazers.
Rozier had been under investigation for activity that took place during a 2023 game that he left due to injury. A bettor placed nearly $14,000 worth of wagers on unders for Rozier’s statistics, and he played only nine minutes in the game before leaving with a foot injury.
Another NBA Veteran Involved in the Scandal
Rozier’s case also involves another coach and former NBA player, and that individual was also arrested on Thursday in conjunction with the incident.
Former Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach and longtime NBA guard Damon Jones has been arrested, according to ABC News. The outlet says that Jones and Rozier allegedly gave inside information to four others who used it to make wagers. Those four co-defendants then allegedly passed that information to sports bettors, allowing them to benefit.
Much like the stock market, bettors on online sports books are prohibited from using nonpublic information to make wagers. One of the co-defendants in the case reportedly made $200,000 in bets on Rozier’s unders on March 23, 2023 – the night he left after nine minutes with the foot injury.
Jones’ Ties to Rozier and Billups’ Cases
The Athletic reported on Thursday that Jones – not affiliated with the Los Angeles Lakers – allegedly “sold or tried to profit from non-public information so that others could bet on it.” The indictment references Jones telling someone to bet on the Milwaukee Bucks against the Lakers, in a game that LeBron James wound up missing due to injury.
Jones, like Billups, was also reportedly paid for his involvement in an illegal poker game contested across multiple states and cities, including Manhattan, Miami, Las Vegas and the Hamptons. The former Miami Heat player also allegedly requested pre-payment of $2,500 before attending the poker game.
The illicit poker games were allegedly rigged in favor of those running them, including rigged shuffling machines and X-ray technology to read cards sitting face down on the playing table. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch says the investigation took over two years, and officials believe that the illegal poker games generated more than $7 million in profit.
