In a sweeping federal action Wednesday night into Thursday morning, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), working with the U.S.
Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, enacted multiple arrests tied to alleged illegal gambling and sports-betting schemes involving high-profile figures in the NBA.
Among those taken into custody are current Heat guard Terry Rozier, Portland’s head coach and Hall-of-Famer Chauncey Billups, and former player/coach Damon Jones.
Rozier was arrested at a hotel in Orlando early Thursday, just hours after his team’s season opener. The arrest follows a separate 2023 game in which he exited early with an injury and drew federal scrutiny for unusual betting volume on his performance metrics.
Billups was taken into federal custody in Oregon, reportedly in connection with a high-stakes illegal poker operation linked to organized crime… distinct from the betting allegations involving Rozier.
Jones is also part of the indictment: sources say he provided inside information about NBA games to bettor-clients.
The total arrests number at least 31, spanning multiple states and covering both sports-betting and poker-gambling rings
This marks one of the most significant federal enforcement actions targeting professional‐sports gambling in years. With the NBA increasingly under the spotlight for prop-bet vulnerabilities and integrity risks, this probe may trigger major repercussions across the league.
Commissioner Adam Silver has previously called for tougher regulations, especially around prop bets for role players.
