The NBA’s long-running gambling controversy reached a new turning point this week as a Brooklyn court heard several of the 34 defendants arrested in the sprawling federal investigation. Prosecutors note that the case unites two distinct but intertwined criminal operations. One involved rigged sports bets on NBA games, and another organized mob-backed poker games that drew in well-known league figures.
Two Operations Exploited Regulatory Gaps
Court revelations paint a tangled picture of corruption that ties together professional basketball, organized crime, and high-stakes gambling. In one instance, current and former NBA players allegedly manipulated performance statistics to influence prop bets. Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, one of the primary suspects, reportedly intentionally missed a March 2023 game so that his associates could capitalize on his underperformance.
Meanwhile, a connected operation conducted high-stakes poker games allegedly operated by members of New York’s Genovese and Bonanno crime families. Prosecutors claim that former athletes and coaches acted as “bait,” attending or promoting these games to draw in wealthy victims. Some high-profile names involved in the scandal include Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, former NBA player Damon Jones, and Rozier, who all face charges connected to at least one of the two criminal operations.
According to court documents, some of the suspects, such as Zhen Hu, one of the organizers of the illegal poker games, reportedly resorted to violence to intimidate victims into paying. Other defendants are Shane Hennen, who stands accused of rigging poker games, and Angelo Ruggiero, Jr., an alleged member of the Genovese crime family.
The NBA Is Taking Swift Action
With legal action already underway, the scandal has prompted the NBA to engage in damage control. League officials recently held talks with Congress staff, discussing their intentions to introduce stricter oversight of sports betting partnerships. Lawmakers were puzzled by how irregular betting patterns, like Rozier’s, went unaddressed for months and questioned whether the NBA’s deals with sportsbooks, such as FanDuel and DraftKings, could create conflicts of interest.
Sources familiar with these meetings report that the NBA plans to limit certain types of prop bets tied to metrics that can be manipulated easily. Examples include turnovers and free throws, where suspicious activity can slip under the radar. Several betting partners have already agreed to remove some of these problematic wager options.
As federal prosecutors continue to unravel the two NBA conspiracies, the evolving scandal threatens to reshape the NBA’s relationship with legalized gambling. Recent events have compelled the league to face its deficiencies and adapt to a rapidly evolving gambling sector. With new safeguards in place, the NBA hopes to restore fan trust and protect the sport’s integrity.