Mob‑Tied NBA Betting and Poker Probe

Federal prosecutors unsealed two related gambling indictments that led to the arrest of more than 30 people, including Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former player/assistant Damon Jones, alleging schemes that generated tens of millions of dollars and involved New York La Cosa Nostra crime families. One indictment accuses Rozier and others of an insider sports-betting conspiracy that exploited confidential, non-public information and relationships with NBA players and coaches to place prop bets — including a March 2023 game Rozier left after nine minutes when co-conspirators wagered more than $200,000. The second alleges Billups helped run a nationwide racket to rig high-stakes poker games using sophisticated cheating technology such as altered shuffling machines, barcoded decks, hidden cameras and alleged x‑ray tables. Defendants face charges including wire fraud, money laundering and conspiracy, and federal officials called the operations among the most brazen frauds since widespread online betting. Authorities say the NBA has cooperated with investigators, placed those arrested on leave, and that the indictments implicate other significant NBA figures and include allegations of coercion toward at least one current player.