Mike Florio ,
Facebook
The NBA has yet another gambling scandal.
ESPN.com reports that Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups have been arrested on federal gambling charges.
The incidents are distinct. Rozier, per the report, was suspected of impropriety after sportsbooks in multiple states flagged increased betting activity on his “under” props for points, rebounds, and assists in a March 2023 game. Rozier left the game in question after only 10 minutes, attributing the departure to a foot injury.
Billups allegedly was tied to an illegal poker operation linked to the mob. Which opens an entirely different can of worms; mob ties can lead to a wide range of gambling-related irregularities.
Indictments will be announced at a Thursday morning press conference conducted by federal prosecutors and the FBI.
The NBA previously had investigated the Rozier case, concluding that no rules had been broken .
Which leads to an obvious question when it comes to the NBA, the NFL, or any professional sports league that catches wind of significant gambling irregularities. Will they be inclined to be transparent about it? Or will they be tempted to try to cover it up? To play the “nothing to see here” card?
It’s one thing for the NFL to suspend a player who made a bet in the building, when he could have permissibly done it at home. It’s quite another for the NFL to pull back the curtain on a situation that calls the integrity of the game and/or the various wagers placed on the game into question. If the NFL ever thinks a player has been involved in serious gambling-related wrongdoing, there will be a natural temptation to cover it up.
In this age of legalized, normalized, and heavily monetized gambling, one big scandal would unleash a storm of prosecution, legislation, and regulation. When it comes to gambling, it’s still the Wild West, with MANY irregularities unaddressed and largely unnoticed.
The sports leagues would love to keep it that way. The NFL has managed, somehow, to succeed. The NBA has not.
And here’s where I point out that my latest novel, Big Shield , explores the manner in which inside information, gambling, the mob, and a fictional pro football league that isn’t the NFL could combine to create havoc for the individuals involved, and for the league. The ebook, at 99 cents , is cheaper than any bet you could make.
Big Shield combines gambling, pro football, and the mob into a cautionary tale regarding inside information, and the dangers that come from selling it.
Football is back and so are Mike Florio and Chris Simms! Watch PFT Live for the latest news coming out of the regular season, postseason and offseason every Monday to Friday at 7 a.m. ET on Peacock and the NBC Sports NOW channel.
