Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from New York

Image source, Reuters

More than 30 people have been arrested in an illegal gambling crackdown by the FBI, including prominent basketball players and mafia members.

Here's what happened today:

• There are two indictments - one is related to sports betting and one is related to alleged rigged, illegal poker games
• NBA stars, including current player Terry Rozier, current coach Chauncey Billups, and former player Damon Jones were arrested
• Both Billups and Rozier have been placed on leave, the NBA says, and the organisation is cooperating with authorities
• Members of prominent New York City mafia families were also arrested

Here's what officials say:

• Officials allege Rozier faked an injury and collaborated with others to bet based on non-public information about athletes and teams
• The defendants allegedly placed hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent bets
• In the other case, investigators say Billups and others targeted victims to play in rigged poker games backed by notorious crime families
• They allegedly scammed people out of millions of dollars by using x-ray poker tables and pre-marked cards

Here's what we still don't know:

• Who the victims are
• How each of the defendants plead to the charges
• Which other players, celebrities or prominent figures are involved in either case

We are now ending our live coverage of this story, but you can stay up to date on the latest news here: NBA stars and mafia among dozens arrested in illegal gambling crackdown

Image source, Reuters

The Portland Trail Blazers' former head coach Chauncey Billups appeared in Oregon court today on charges connected to the nationwide illegal poker scheme.

Billups' attorney, Chris Heywood, arranged for Billups' release on conditions that he turn over his passport, secure a bond, restrict his travel, and refrain from gambling or contacting his co-defendants, according to local outlet The Oregonian/OregonLive.

"The conditions are standard and common in allegations like this," Heywood told the outlet after Billups' hearing. "Folks shouldn’t draw any conclusions from this."

The Portland Trail Blazers have named the team's assistant coach, Tiago Splitter, as its interim head coach in place of Chauncey Billups, sports network ESPN and local Portland media have reported.

Billups was indicted on charges related to the illegal poker operation.

Splitter is a former NBA player and champion himself who has also assistant coached the Brooklyn Nets and head coached Paris Basketball.

He was born in Brazil, and towers at 6 feet 11 inches.

Image source, Getty Images

Jim Trusty, an attorney for accused Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, says his client has a "great case", local US media reports.

Speaking to reporters outside a federal courthouse in Orlando, Florida where Rozier had a hearing Thursday, Trusty says his client never faked an injury or tipped anyone off about it as prosecutors have alleged, according to NBC News.

Trusty says Rozier had a follow-up appointment with a doctor following a March 2023 game, when court documents allege that Rozier faked an ankle injury in an effort to influence the outcome of bets.

"He had a bunch of people that he appropriately confided in, and he had an injury, and he didn't play another game," Trusty tells the reporters, according to NBC.

Rozier came into the courtroom wearing a Charlotte Hornets hoodie, and will be released from custody today, according to a reporter for a local CBS News affiliate, the BBC's US partner, after putting up his $6 million Florida home as bond collateral.

Several US lawmakers have reacted to today's indictments, saying gambling has been tainting US sports for years.

"We have allowed the betting industry to corrupt sports—becoming more entrenched in every aspect of the game without meaningful national guardrails to protect fans & victims of gambling addiction," Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal said.

Another Democratic lawmaker, Congressman Paul Tonko, says scandals like this are "inevitable" and called on the NBA to support legislation regulating sports betting.

He said lawmakers need to work to "give sports back to the American people".

Sports gambling company DraftKings says it takes suspicious activity on its platform seriously.

The betting and fantasy sports giant didn't reveal whether any of the bets related to today's game-fixing indictment were placed on its app.

"We know our fans value the authenticity of competition, and we take the responsibility of reporting suspicious activity seriously. As a proud partner of the NBA, DraftKings remains committed to working closely with the league to ensure the continued integrity of the game," a spokesperson told the BBC.

Image source, Getty Images

Chauncey Billups, 49, head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers since 2021 is expected in court in Oregon soon.

He was a star player in the NBA and played for several teams, but spent most of his career as a guard for the Detroit Pistons.

In 2004, he helped the Pistons win the NBA championship and was named that year's NBA Finals most valuable player.

He was inducted into the basketball Hall of Fame last year.

Sports betting has exploded in US since 2018published at 21:31 BST 23 October

21:31 BST 23 October

Natalie Sherman
New York business reporter

Sports betting was outlawed in most of the US from 1992 until 2018, when the Supreme Court turned regulation of the practice over to the states.

That didn’t mean it didn’t happen informally of course.

But since the federal ban was struck down, the practice has exploded, with major sports leagues and media companies making deals with gaming firms to get in on the action.

In the first eight months of the year, Americans wagered nearly $100bn on sports through official channels, up roughly 12% compared to 2023, according to the American Gaming Association.

The embrace of sports betting has been part of a broader shift in approach to gambling in the US, which for decades was largely limited to Native American lands and the Nevada’s Las Vegas strip.

Sports betting in particular was viewed with suspicion due to a 1919 baseball World Series match-fixing scandal. For years, many leaders of major sports leagues in the US opposed legalisation, worried it would erode trust in its games.

For more stories from the US and around the world, follow BBC News US onWhatsApp

Kayla Epstein
US reporter

The defendants who were indicted and arrested in New York today will start appearing for their arraignment hearings today, according to John Marzulli, spokesman for the Eastern District of New York.

Defendants who were arrested outside of New York -- which could include the high profile NBA players named in the indictments -- will appear in federal court in Brooklyn at a later date.

An arraignment is typically a first court appearance for a defendant, where they are informed of the charges against them and enter a plea of guilty or not guilty.

The revelations today have rocked confidence in the world of sports betting.

FanDuel, one of the leading betting platforms, told the BBC in a statement, the revelations were "deeply disturbing, and should concern fans, athletes, and everyone who loves sports and values integrity and fair play."

"We are unwavering in our commitment to rooting out abuses by those who seek to undermine fair competition and the games we love."

A representative for BetMGM says it did not have a comment at this time. The BBC has also reached out DraftKings for comment.

Six defendants, including Miami Heat player Terry Rozier, have been charged with wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy for their alleged roles in a scheme using inside information from NBA players and coaches to profit from illegal betting.

United States Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr said: “As alleged, the defendants turned professional basketball into a criminal betting operation, using private locker room and medical information to enrich themselves and cheat legitimate sportsbooks."

So which games were illegal bets placed on, according to the Department of Justice (DoJ)?:

• 23 March, 2023 Charlotte Hornets game - It is alleged Rozier tipped off a co-conspirator he planned to leave the game early due to an injury. Co-conspirators then placed more than $200,000 that Rozier would underperform, before Rozier exited the game after nine minutes. This generated tens of thousands of dollars in profits, the DoJ alleges.
• 24 March, 2023 Portland Trail Blazers game - It is alleged Eric Earnest received and passed on insider information from an NBA coach that several Blazers players would sit out a game against the Chicago Bulls. Before the information became public, Marves Fairley and his associates allegedly put over $100,000 against the Blazers and "yielded major winnings"
• 6 April 2023 Orlando Magic game - It is alleged Marves Fairley profited from a tip that several of Orlando Magic's top players would sit out a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He is accused of placing about $11,000 on Cavalier outperforming their point spread.
• 9 February 2023 and 15 January 2024 LA Lakers game - It is alleged ex-NBA player and coach Damon Jones provided insider information to co-conspirators about pre-release medical information concerning star players on the LA Lakers team for the purpose of enabling co-conspirators to place wagers.
• 26 January 2024 and 20 March 2024 Toronto Raptors game - It is alleged Jontay Porter, then a NBA player with Toronto Raptors, informed co-conspirators he would prematurely exit games scheduled to play on 26 January 2024 and 20 March 2024. When the player exited both games early, numerous of the fraudulent wagers were successful, the DoJ alleges.

Sakshi Venkatraman
Reporting from New York

Federal investigators are likely relying on an informant, or "someone on the inside" of the alleged gambling schemes, one former prosecutor tells me.

"They probably have help from a cooperating co-conspirator who will tell them how the scheme worked," said Seth Zuckerman, a former New York City prosecutor who is now a criminal defence attorney. "The federal government doesn't generally bring these charges unless they think they can secure a conviction against each and every one of the individuals that were charged."

The investigation that led up to today's arrests has probably been going on for years, Zuckerman said, and the high-profile figures and organisations involved make it extra sensitive.

As the cases continue to unfold and potentially go to trial, prosecutors could produce some key pieces of evidence, which could include the alleged rigged poker tables and card shufflers, money transfers, witness accounts from alleged victims, and, most importantly, the co-conspirator.

The defence teams will likely capitalise on any lack of evidence put forth implicating their clients.

"Linking the NBA to the mafia is a very large leap, and [the investigators] clearly believe that they have the evidence to support that," he said.

The defendants acquired information about NBA players that wasn't available to the public and sold that information to influence their betting scheme, court documents allege.

For example, defendant Damon Jones worked as an unofficial assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2022-2023 season - a position that gave him access to medical information about the players that was not public, according to a court document.

Prosecutors allege that ahead of a Lakers game in February 2023, Jones informed an unnamed co-conspirator that a certain player had an injury and would not be playing that evening, giving the opposing team an edge.

"Get a big bet on Milwaukee tonight before the information is out! [Player 3] is out tonight," Jones texted his associate, according to the court document. And, as expected, the Lakers lost that game.

Scheme didn't pan out every time.

Prosecutors allege that, ahead of a Lakers game in January 2024, Jones learned one of the team's best players, whose name is redacted in court documents, had an injury that would likely hurt his performance.

Jones and an associate of his sold that information to a sports better, also listed as a defendant in the indictment, for $2,500, prosecutors allege in the court document. That sports better then wagered $100,000 against the Lakers based on the information he bought from Jones, prosecutors allege.

But the player with the purported injury ended up playing in line with his season average, and the Lakers won.

That prompted the sports better to ask for his $2,500 back, which Jones and his associate rejected, according to the court document.

Image source, USA Today Sports

Just two days before this morning's revelations on illegal betting and gambling, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver called for more regulation of sports gambling, saying there should be federal rules rather than state by state laws.

In an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on ESPN, external, Silver - the first professional league head to support the legalisation of sports betting in the US - specifically called for changes to prop bets on players with two-way contracts.

Silver banned Jontay Porter from the NBA after he was found to have manipulated his performance in games during the 2023-24 season.

The commissioner says the NBA asked sportsbook partners to pull back on prop bets on "guys who don't have the same stake in the competition" because of their contracts. Such players are on a retainer without a full contract.

Image source, Getty Images

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) has charged 31 defendants over rigged illegal poker games in New York state and across America.

United States Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. described the scheme as a "highly sophisticated lucrative fraud scheme to cheat victims out of millions of dollars".

So how were the games allegedly fixed, according to prosecutors?:

• The DoJ says as early as 2019, conspirators arranged for unwitting victims to play in underground illegal poker games that were secretly rigged using wireless cheating technology
• Former professional athletes were enlisted by the scheme to entice victims into playing the games
• Conspirators are accused of using altered shuffling machines that had technology allowing the machines to read all the cards in the deck and determine which player would have the winning hand
• This information would be transmitted to an off-site conspirator who then sent it via mobile phone back to a conspirator sitting at the table, who then in turn secretly signalled to other conspirators at the table
• This information would be used by those involved to win the poker games against "unwitting victims, who sometimes lost tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars at a time"
• The defendants are also accused of using a poker chip tray that also secretly read cards using hidden cameras, an x-ray table that could read face down cards, and special contact lenses or spectacles that could read pre-marked cards
• The DoJ says victims lost at least $7m through the rigged poker games, with violent acts like assault and robbery used to ensure repayment of debts

“With the alleged involvement of three La Cosa Nostra crime families, an NBA head coach and Hall of Famer, as well as other current and former professional athletes, the investigative work that culminated with this morning’s operation are reminiscent of a Hollywood movie," Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) special agent in charge Ricky Patel said.

Image source, The Boston Globe via Getty Images

The American mob has a long history of rigging sports games and manipulating sports gambling.

Perhaps the most infamous instance of mobsters fixing a game was the 1919 World Series between the Chicago White Sox and the Cincinnati Reds.

The circumstances surrounding the controversy that became known as the Black Sox Scandal remain mysterious. It centred around allegations that eight White Sox players intentionally lost the series in exchange for payments totaling up to $100,000. The suspected players were acquitted in a 1921 trial after evidence disappeared from the grand jury files, but they were permanently barred from playing Major League Baseball again.

Though no mobsters ever went to trial for involvement in the alleged scheme, court records named New York mobster Arnold Rothstein as the likely kingpin and he is widely considered to be the orchestrator of the bribery scandal.

Known as "The Brain", Rothstein was born into a Jewish family, but did not belong to one specific crime family - instead he worked with Jewish, Italian, and Irish gangs.

We are starting to see images of Terry Rozier's lawyer Jim Trusty arriving to the US District Court for the Middle District of Florida in Orlando, where the player is set to make his first appearance this afternoon after being accused of throwing basketball games as part of an illegal sports betting scheme.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

The union that represents NBA players told the BBC it wants "due process" for the arrested players.

The National Basketball Players Association represents current professional basketball players, advocating for their protections and benefits.

“The integrity of the game is paramount to NBA players, but so is the presumption of innocence, and both are hindered when player popularity is misused to gain attention," an NBPA spokesperson said. "We will ensure our members are protected and afforded their due process rights through this process."

Today's revelations are the latest in a line of illegal betting allegations against athletes and others in professional sports.

Players and other officials in pro basketball, baseball, American football, and hockey have faced charges for illegal betting in recent years.

Jontay Porter, who played for the Toronto Raptors basketball team, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud in July 2024 after being accused of manipulating his performances to help others wager bets on his game performances. Porter is awaiting sentencing in December but has banned for life by the NBA.

US officials say today's arrests are connected to the investigation into Porter.

NFL player Josh Shaw was suspended in 2019 for betting on games involving his team. His suspension was lifted in 2021 but his career in the league ended.

Ippei Mizuhara, a Japanese language interpreter for baseball star Shohei Ohtani, was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for stealing from the player and using the money to pay off betting debts.

But fraudulent bets aren't new.

Pete Rose, a baseball star, was also banned for life from the sport in 1989 after he was caught placing bets on games while he was coaching the major league team Cincinnati Reds.

Image source, NY Daily News Archive via Getty Images

Another one of the Five Families alleged to be involved in the betting scheme is the Genovese family.

Following the establishment of the Commission - a board of directors made up of bosses from each of the Five Families - in the 1930s, Vito Genovese was made underboss, then acting boss, of the crime family that later inherited his name.

After Genovese fled to Italy in 1937 to avoid murder charges, Frank Costello took over for him on the American side. When Genovese returned to New York - following his extradition on murder charges, then eventual release after all witnesses were murdered - he got into a leadership dispute with Costello, but ultimately retained control.

In 1959, Genovese was convicted on drug trafficking charges, but retained some control from prison.

A top soldier in the Genovese family, Joe Valachi, became a government informer in 1962, affirming for the first time on record the existence of the Mafia.

The family has remained active in the last few decades, though a 2006 raid got over 30 members of the family convicted on racketeering charges.