NBA Head Coach and Player Charged in Sprawling Sports Betting and Mafia-Backed Poker Schemes

Introduction to the Scandal

The head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers and a player for the Miami Heat were arrested Thursday along with more than 30 other people in two criminal cases alleging sprawling separate schemes to rake in millions by rigging sports bets and poker games involving Mafia families, authorities said.

Portland coach Chauncey Billups was charged with participating in a conspiracy to fix high-stakes card games in Las Vegas, Miami, Manhattan and the Hamptons that were backed by La Cosa Nostra Crime families. Heat guard Terry Rozier was accused in a second scheme to concoct fraudulent bets by exploiting confidential information about NBA athletes and teams.

The Indictments and Their Impact

The indictments unsealed in New York create a massive cloud for the NBA — which opened its season this week — and show how certain types of wagers are vulnerable to massive fraud in the growing, multi-billion-dollar legal sports-betting industry.
“My message to the defendants who’ve been rounded up today is this: Your winning streak has ended," said Joseph Nocella, the U.S attorney for the Eastern District of New York. "Your luck has run out.”

Billups and Rozier Expected to Make Their First Court Appearances

Both men face money laundering and wire fraud conspiracy charges and were expected to make initial court appearances later Thursday. Also arrested was former NBA assistant coach and player Damon Jones, who is charged with participating in both schemes.
Nocella called it "one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since online sports betting became widely legalized in the United States.”
“The fraud is mind boggling,” FBI Director Kash Patel told reporters. “We’re talking about tens of millions of dollars in fraud and theft and robbery across a multi-year investigation.”

The Schemes and Their Operations

Billups, who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame last year, and Rozier have been placed on leave from their teams, according to the NBA. The league said it is cooperating with authorities.
“We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority,” the NBA said in a statement.

Mafia Families Profited Off Gambling Scheme, Officials Say

The poker scheme cheated at least $7 million out of unsuspecting gamblers who were lured into rigged games with the chance to compete against former professional basketball players like Billups and Jones. The games were rigged using sophisticated cheating technology, such as altered card-shuffling machines, hidden cameras in poker chip trays, special sunglasses and even X-ray equipment built into the table to read the cards of unsuspecting players.
Once the targeted victims — known as “fish” — lost, the mafia used extortion and violence to make sure they paid their gambling debts, Nocella said.

Athletes Accused of Leaving Games Early

In the sports betting scheme, players sometimes altered their performance or took themselves out of games early to rig prop bets — a type of wager that allows gamblers to bet on whether a player will exceed a certain statistical number, such as whether the player will finish over or under a certain total of points, rebounds or assists, according to the indictment.
In one instance, Rozier, while playing for the Charlotte Hornets in 2023, told people he was planning to leave the game early with a supposed injury, allowing gamblers to place wagers earning them tens of thousands of dollars, authorities say.

Conclusion

The arrest of an NBA head coach and a player in connection with sprawling sports betting and Mafia-backed poker schemes has sent shockwaves through the sports world. The allegations of fraud, money laundering, and wire fraud conspiracy are serious and highlight the vulnerability of the sports betting industry to corruption. As the investigation continues, the NBA and its fans will be watching closely to see how the league responds to these allegations and works to prevent similar schemes in the future.

FAQs

• Q: Who are the individuals charged in the sports betting and Mafia-backed poker schemes?
  A: Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat player Terry Rozier are among those charged.
• Q: What are the allegations against Billups and Rozier?
  A: Billups is accused of participating in a conspiracy to fix high-stakes card games, while Rozier is accused of concocting fraudulent bets by exploiting confidential information about NBA athletes and teams.
• Q: How much money is alleged to have been cheated from unsuspecting gamblers?
  A: The poker scheme is alleged to have cheated at least $7 million from unsuspecting gamblers.
• Q: What is the NBA’s response to the allegations?
  A: The NBA has placed Billups and Rozier on leave and is cooperating with authorities, stating that the integrity of the game remains its top priority.