Parlay Players: FBI Investigates NBA Personnel in Sports Betting Conspiracy
By: Yoon Choi
Edited By: Brooke Sharp and Eleanor Bergstein
Contextualization
On October 23, an indictment in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York in Brooklyn charged six defendants in a widespread money laundering case involving National Basketball Association (NBA) players and coaches to profit from illegal sports betting. Under this investigation, the FBI arrested six former and current NBA players who allegedly provided insider information on professional games and purposefully manipulated in-game results to benefit the defendants. Among those arrested, notable individuals included Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, and former NBA player Damon Jones [1].
This scheme is closely related to a larger FBI investigation on illegal gambling with significant ties to mobs and mafia groups in New York. The case has grown significantly in size over its approximately 6-year investigation, initially starting as illegal poker games with cheating technologies. Some of these fraudulent mechanisms included a shuffling machine that rigged decks, and a “chip tray analyser” that read cards using secret cameras. The most recent indictment (including transactions from the NBA betting scheme) stated a massive array of damages, which demonstrated its expansive extent: a total of $7 million in losses, the arrest of 31 people across 11 states, and the alleged involvement of three major mafia families (Gambinos, Bonnanos, and Genoveses) [2].
NBA’s Response
There was a diverse array of responses to this news from the NBA, both among the association itself and its players. After the press release, the NBA sent a memo to all 30 member teams, calling for a reassessment of the league’s gambling policies and its regulations for their players. The league officially stated that it is looking for improved strategies to regulate integrity within the association, experimenting with artificial intelligence-driven programs and other statistical tools. Billups and Rozier were both put on leave by the NBA following their arrest, and have not returned [3]. Billups and Rozier have been charged with two separate indictments, with the former being accused of being involved with the poker scheme and the latter for performance manipulation.
NBA players, staff, and media were all shocked by the news that broke in the midst of opening-week for the 2025-26 season, warranting a variety of responses. Many of those with personal ties to the convicted individuals seemingly avoided comments on whether they were aware of the situation, mainly only stating their best wishes for Billups and Rozier as they went through legal proceedings. Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra stated, “[Rozier] is somebody who is very dear to all of us. He has had a real positive impact on our locker room, on staff and players alike.” Similarly when asked about fellow head coach Chauncey Billups, Detroit Pistons’ JB Bickerstaff answered, “[I] know his family well. So you know, I know he's going through it. I know it's a difficult time for him, but all of us as friends and coaches are there for him.” Current players who shared close relationships like Heat forward and captain Bam Adebayo also publicly claimed the team is in “full support” of Rozier [4].
Other NBA personalities have reserved their words for the specific individuals involved in the case, but have addressed the severity of sports gambling in the league and the implications it brings upon the integrity of the game. With the NBA exponentially increasing as a business, players like Jaylen Brown (Boston Celtics) and Nikola Vucevic (Chicago Bulls) have expressed concern about the negativity that sports betting places on players and protecting them from such criticism [4].
Public Reaction
The public expressed much greater dissent for the scandal than those directly involved in the association. Many negative comments were focused on the allegations against Terry Rozier, who was accused of faking injuries and playing poorly on multiple occasions to prop sports bets in the conspirators’ favor. Fans took to various social media platforms, like X and Instagram, to express their resentment. The gambling scandal also sparked a micro-trend among the social media space of NBA fans, in which users started to falsely identify as NBA personalities and admit involvement in gambling, thereby expressing their dislike for the individual and jokingly “attempting” to ruin their careers [5].
Future Implications
This is not the first time that the NBA has been faced with significant gambling scandals. Notably in 2024, an allegation against Jontay Porter, former Toronto Raptor forward, caused him to be banned from the NBA after being found guilty of manipulating in-game performance for sports betting [6]. Porter’s case was evidence that sports betting not only externally impacts the league, but exists within the association, raising doubts about the league’s integrity.
In June 2025, former Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley was also placed under federal investigation for manipulating performance to increase betting profits. When this charge was dismissed, the NBA launched their own subsequent investigation into Beasley in September [7]. Despite alleged “full-cooperation,” this case caused significant harm to Beasley’s career; the Detroit Pistons did not re-sign him in the free agency period due to the investigation, and he is still yet to be signed despite coming off a career year ranking second in three-pointers made in the 2024-25 season.
Such diverse occurrences with sports-betting hold significant implications for not only the NBA, but sports leagues worldwide. As online-gambling continues to grow, both players and media have raised concerns about its impacts on the business side of sports, the mental health of athletes, the toxic fan environment, and the overall quality of the product that these leagues present. With this most recent federal case seemingly tied to wider criminal organizations, it raises greater concerns about the mysteries associated with the games industry and the movements that occur in the shadows that have direct monetary reverberations. As details continue to be released by the FBI, sports leagues will likely continue to crack down on integrity within their athletes and teams, aiming to produce an environment that draws viewership for profitability but also preserves the authenticity of the game.
Notes:
1. U.S. Department of Justice, “Current and Former National Basketball Association Players and Four Other Individuals Charged in Widespread Sports Betting and Money Laundering Conspiracy,” U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of New York, October 23, 2025,
https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/current-and-former-national-basketball-association players-and-four-other-individuals.
2. BBC News, “NBA gambling scandal explained,”,
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c77zndkx5kpo.
3. Shams Charania and David Purdum, “NBA memo addresses the need to assess ‘dire risks’ of gambling,” ESPN, October 27, 2025,
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/46746697/nba-memo-addresses-need-assess-dire-ris ks-gambling.
4. Michael C. Wright, “NBA gambling investigations: How players, coaches reacted to the news,” ESPN, October 27, 2025,
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/46715098/nba-gambling-investigation-how-players coaches-reacted-news.
5. Yahoo Sports, “Reactions: NBA rocked gambling scandal,” Sports.Yahoo.com, https://sports.yahoo.com/article/reactions-nba-rocked-gambling-scandal-180207946.html.
6. David Purdum, “NBA bans Raptors’ Jontay Porter for gambling violations,” ESPN, April 17, 2024,
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/39962406/nba-bans-raptors-jontay-porter-gambling -violations.
7. CBS Sports, “NBA launches investigation into gambling allegations against Malik Beasley amid federal probe,” September 10, 2025 ,
https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/nba-launches-investigation-into-gambling-allegatio ns-against-malik-beasley-amid-federal-probe/.
Bibliography:
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Epstein, Kayla. 2025. “How FBI’s Gambling Case Highlights Mafia’s Changing Tactics.” BBC, October 23, 2025. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c77zndkx5kpo.
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