Sadiq S BhatWashington, DC — In what has shocked and stunned the basketball world, US federal prosecutors on Thursday unsealed indictments charging 34 people in two schemes that linked insider National Basketball Association (NBA) betting with mob-run poker rings.
The cases, brought by the US Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York, accuse NBA insiders and organised crime figures of using private team information and rigged gambling setups to profit illegally from the basketball league composed of 30 teams.
The FBI says the conspiracies intersected through shared money handlers, overlapping debts, and the same network of bettors operating across multiple US states.
Those indicted include high-profile NBA figures like Chauncey Billups, Portland Trail Blazers head coach and former Finals MVP, Terry Rozier, Miami Heat guard, Damon Jones, former Cleveland Cavaliers player and Lakers assistant coach, and Jontay Porter, former Toronto Raptors player.
The sportspersons, most of them household names in America, are accused of sharing or exploiting confidential information to place profitable bets.
Others charged include Marves Fairley, accused of moving cash winnings, and Eric Earnest, described as a betting facilitator.
Thirteen of the 34 defendants are alleged associates of New York's Bonanno, Gambino, Lucchese, Genovese, and Colombo families.
Federal officials say those groups controlled the poker side of the operation, taking cuts from profits and enforcing debts through threats and violence.
How the scheme worked
Between December 2022 and March 2024, conspirators allegedly used insider NBA information: injury updates, early exits, and lineup changes, which was then used to manipulate bets on player performances.
In one instance, Rozier allegedly told associates in February 2023 that he would leave a Charlotte Hornets game early due to a foot injury. Bets placed on his underperformance earned more than $200,000.
Damon Jones is accused of leaking injury information before two Lakers games, while a co-conspirator matching Billups’ profile allegedly passed along details about a Portland Trail Blazers matchup in March 2023.
Investigators say massive winnings were laundered through cash, bank wires, payment apps, and cryptocurrency.
Parallel poker operation
While agents followed betting transactions, they discovered a connected high-stakes poker ring running since 2019.
The network allegedly used advanced cheating tools: rigged shuffling machines, marked cards visible through special contact lenses, X-ray tables, and concealed card readers.
Games were hosted in Las Vegas, Miami, Manhattan, and the Hamptons.
Federal documents describe Billups as a "face card" player who helped attract wealthy participants.
Prosecutors reveal that victims were cheated out of millions, with mob families sharing the proceeds.
How did bets trigger a federal probe?
The FBI began investigating after noticing suspicious betting patterns in player prop markets. Analysts flagged bets that closely tracked non-public injury news.
Wiretaps, surveillance, and casino records later revealed connections between the bettors, NBA insiders, and known organised crime associates.
When agents traced the flow of winnings, they found the same people running poker games with rigged equipment.
What began as a quiet integrity probe soon spiralled into a full-blown federal organised crime case.
The arrests took place on 23 October across 11 US states and included some heavyweights from the world of American basketball.
* Rozier was detained in Orlando as the Miami Heat prepared for their opener.
* Billups was arrested in Portland a day after the Trail Blazers’ season opener.
* Jones and several others were taken into custody in Los Angeles and New York.
NBA's response
The league placed Billups and Rozier on administrative leave and said it is cooperating with federal authorities.
Commissioner Adam Silver said the NBA "takes these indictments with utmost seriousness" and noted that the league’s internal investigative powers "cannot match federal resources."
Rozier's lawyer said his client "intends to fight the charges," while Billups also denied any wrongdoing.
Why this scandal matters
The indictments strike at the credibility of professional basketball just as gambling has become deeply embedded in American sports.
Since the US Supreme Court legalised sports betting in 2018, 37 states have allowed it, and the NBA has partnered with major platforms such as DraftKings and FanDuel.
The revelation that NBA insiders allegedly used privileged information to bet while the league profits from its own gambling partnerships has raised doubts about oversight and integrity.
Observers have compared the case to the 2007 Tim Donaghy referee scandal and the 2024 Jontay Porter betting ban, but say this one is much broader, involving top names, including players, coaches, as well as organised crime networks.
How have lawmakers and administration reacted?
Federal officials described the operation as both sophisticated and brazen.
"This is the insider trading saga for the NBA," FBI director Kash Patel said at a news conference Thursday morning in New York.
US Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. described the scheme as a "highly sophisticated lucrative fraud scheme to cheat victims out of millions of dollars".
Several US lawmakers have also reacted to the indictments.
"We have allowed the betting industry to corrupt sports — becoming more entrenched in every aspect of the game without meaningful national guardrails to protect fans & victims of gambling addiction," Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal said.
House Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries reacted to the arrests. "It's a stunning development. The indictment seems very wide-ranging. Of course, every single one of the individuals charged are entitled to the presumption of innocence,” he said.
What comes next?
All 34 defendants face charges including racketeering, conspiracy, wire fraud, and illegal gambling. If convicted, they could face years in prison and heavy financial penalties.
Basketball is considered more than a game in America. To see its sanctity tainted by greed has left fans stunned and faith in fair play shaken.
While the NBA has launched an internal review, the damage may already be done.
