The FBI has launched a major operation uncovering illegal sports betting and rigged poker games involving NBA personnel and organized crime. Miami Heat player Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups are among those arrested in connection with this sweeping investigation.
Rozier faces allegations of faking injuries to influence betting markets, while Billups has been implicated in a separate case involving a network of retired players and mafia ties. Prosecutors highlighted the use of advanced technology like contact lenses and X-ray tables to manipulate poker games, resulting in massive financial fraud.
FBI Director Kash Patel described the arrests as a coordinated effort impacting multiple states and involving complexities that threaten the integrity of sports. The NBA, in response, has placed both Rozier and Billups on leave while reviewing the implications of the federal indictments.
This investigation comes at a time when sports betting has rapidly expanded in the U.S., raising critical questions about accountability and transparency in professional leagues. As the story unfolds, it underscores the necessity for stringent regulations against gambling-related corruption in sports.
