The NBA Has a Gambling Problem: The Arrests of Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups
Alexander Fry
Staff Writer
On Tuesday, October 23rd, the Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat point guard Terry Rozier were both federally indicted by the FBI for their involvement in illegal gambling schemes. Hall-of-famer Chauncey Billups was arrested for his alleged involvement in a rigged poker ring, while Terry Rozier was arrested for his involvement in a sports betting scheme where he intentionally left a game early so he and bettors could profit by hundreds of thousands of dollars.
It’s a bad look for the NBA. The league has been no stranger to sports betting controversy recently, as multiple investigations were launched last season into NBA players intentionally playing poorly to profit bettors. Former Toronto Raptors forward, Jontay Porter, was banned from the league in April 2024 after violating the NBA’s gambling rules, intentionally limiting his play and tipping bettors to put money on his under. Furthermore, Porter gambled on NBA games he wasn’t participating in. He pleaded guilty this January to wire fraud and faces potential jail time and other repercussions. However, it was recently discovered that Jontay Porter’s life was threatened due to his copious gambling debts, forcing him into the sports betting scheme. Malik Beasley, a former Detroit Pistons guard, was under federal investigation earlier this year for sports gambling, and in August he was sued and evicted by his landlord for unpaid rent. He is currently a free agent, and still under investigation from the NBA as of September.
The Terry Rozier Sports Betting Scandal
Terry Rozier was arrested for wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy related to a game played on March 23rd, 2023, where he informed a friend that he would exit the game early. His childhood friend sold this information to bettors for about $100,000. After this, hundreds of thousands of dollars were bet on Rozier’s unders, most of which cashed when he exited the game after nine minutes. After the game, Part of the winnings were delivered to Rozier’s house, where he counted the money made from the under bets with the bettors. The NBA previously investigated Terry Rozier in a gambling-related probe but found nothing.
While the 2023 incident was when he played for the Charlotte Hornets, some users on X (formerly known as Twitter) have been looking into his performances, finding a game against the Cavaliers where he played suspiciously poorly. While this is not definitive proof of anything, Rozier’s gambling fraud may not have been limited to one occasion.
Chauncey Billups & The Rigged Poker Ring
Chauncey Billups may have also been involved with sports betting fraud, but he was indicted for charges related to a mafia-run poker operation where players were swindled out of millions of dollars. Billups used his status as a hall-of-famer and current head coach to lure “fish” to the poker tables, and during these games various technologies were used to rig the game against the “fish”. Federal prosecutors allege that these technologies include things like shuffling machines that read card decks, poker chip trays with hidden cameras, an X-ray table that could read face down cards, and special glasses to read pre-marked cards. Once the fish lost the rigged games, the mafia group known as La Cosa Nostra used extortion and violence to collect gambling debts from participants. Victims lost around $7 million in total, with one victim losing over $1 million.
While Chauncey Billups was indicted for his involvement in the rigged poker games, it is possible he was involved in the sports betting fraud as well. Within the indictment, a defendant known as “Co-Conspirator 8” allegedly told a bettor that the Blazers would be tanking on March 24th, 2023, against the Chicago Bulls. Four starters were out that game and the Blazers lost by 28 points.
Additionally, in a game against the Chicago Bulls on April 4th, 2024, Chauncey Billups called a timeout after the Blazers went on a 10-0 run to bring the game within 5 points, subbing out his top two scorers in Shaedon Sharpe and Deni Avdija (who had 37 points). The Blazers lost this game by five points.
Furthermore, in a game against the Orlando Magic on January 30th, 2025, Deni Avdija saw a large decrease in playtime. He averaged 36.8 minutes for five out of his last six games but only played 26 minutes in that sixth game against the Magic, being subbed out two minutes into the game as a starter. It is important to note that the Blazers ended up winning this game by 29 points, so Avdija’s overall decreased playtime could be due to the blowout victory. However, his low first half playtime is odd, being the least played starter with fewer minutes than sixth man Shaedon Sharpe.
Strange coaching decisions are nothing new to the Portland Trail Blazers, and while many of Chauncey Billups’ coaching decisions can be attributed to tanking (intentionally losing) for a better draft pick, it would not be surprising to see him ousted for involvement in the sports gambling scheme.
The Problematic Ties of Sportsbooks & The League
It’s no surprise that the NBA is having trouble investigating and controlling the influx of sports betting scandals hitting the league. The NBA is currently partnered with FanDuel and DraftKings and it’s nearly impossible to watch an NBA broadcast without a casino or sportsbook advertisement appearing. In 2020, DraftKings became a fantasy sports partner with the New York Knicks, additionally becoming the sports betting partner of the Indiana Pacers. Many other NBA teams have deals with casinos, so it’s not shocking that players are getting involved. Young adult men are the primary target audience of sportsbooks, so when most sports leagues consist of young adult men, it is predictable that they would form harmful gambling addictions themselves. It looks stupid for multi-million-dollar athletes to potentially throw away their careers for a fraction of their contracts, but when the league itself is so friendly with sportsbooks and shoddy NBA investigations come back inconclusive, it’s not surprising that players are rigging their own lines. If it takes federal investigations to impede players from sports betting, then so be it. However, the NBA is responsible for its lack of action and accountability when it comes to these scandals, with NBA commissioner Adam Silver’s lethargy in league probes exacerbating the widespread addiction of sports gambling.
Overall, the arrests on the 23rd were a shock to the league, as the NBA had no knowledge that either Terry Rozier or Chauncey Billups were to be arrested. Adam Silver has been requested to address Congress on the gambling scandal by October 31st. Former Cleveland Cavaliers player and assistant coach Damon Jones was also arrested for fraud charges related to sports betting. Both Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier have been released but were forced to quit gambling and forfeit their passports as they both await trials. They have both been placed on immediate leave from the league, with Davion Mitchell taking Terry Rozier’s spot at starting point guard, and Tiago Splitter filling in as interim head coach for the Portland Trail Blazers. Both have been released on bail and are barred from gambling or traveling internationally while awaiting trial.
Contact Alexander at fryalex1@shu.edu