**High-Profile NBA Arrests Spotlight Risks in Close Ties Between Pro Sports and Legalized Betting**
*NEW YORK* — The recent high-profile arrests of NBA insiders have brought renewed attention to the potential risks associated with the close relationship between the four major North American men’s sports leagues and legalized betting in the United States.
Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, and former Cleveland Cavaliers player and assistant coach Damon Jones were among more than 30 individuals charged in connection with two separate but related federal gambling investigations.
Rozier and Jones are alleged to have provided non-public information about upcoming games, enabling criminal partners to place bets on game outcomes or individual player performances. Billups was charged in a separate case involving the alleged rigging of high-stakes poker games. While the indictment mentions an unnamed co-conspirator, no further details were provided.
Billups’ attorney issued a statement affirming, “Chauncey Billups has never and would never gamble on basketball games, provide insider information, or sacrifice the trust of his team and the league.” Rozier’s attorney added that Rozier had previously been cleared by the National Basketball Association (NBA) and accused prosecutors of reviving a “non-case.” Reuters was unable to reach legal representation for Jones.
**Implications for the Sports Industry**
Regardless of the legal outcomes, these charges are expected to heighten scrutiny of the relationship between online sportsbooks and professional leagues—a partnership worth millions to both parties. However, such involvement presents risks of undermining the integrity of professional sports.
Leigh Steinberg, a veteran sports agent, emphasized the gravity of the situation: “Part of the reason that we have the massive television contracts, massive crowds in stadiums, fantasy sports and the rest of it, is the feeling these are true contests without outside influence. If, all of a sudden, these incidents keep occurring, it undercuts the public confidence in the validity of athletic contests.”
**From Reluctance to Embrace**
The 2018 Supreme Court ruling paved the way for states to legalize sports betting. Prior to this, the NBA, NFL, Major League Baseball, and the National Hockey League had opposed legalization, fearing it would compromise game integrity.
Seven years later, professional sports and online betting platforms have become deeply intertwined. Ads saturate television broadcasts, and sportsbooks are readily accessible via fans’ phones and inside arenas and stadiums.
With instant accessibility and substantial financial stakes, the temptation for cheating has escalated.
Each of the “Big Four” leagues now has official betting partners. Within three months after the Supreme Court ruling, the NBA teamed up with MGM Resorts International in a three-year deal reportedly worth $25 million, according to ESPN.
Three years later, the NFL signed its first U.S. partnerships with Caesars Entertainment, DraftKings, and FanDuel in five-year deals valued by Sportico at $1 billion.
“This was a gold rush to a new revenue source,” Steinberg said.
**Addressing Gambling Violations**
Since the Supreme Court decision, all four leagues have suspended players for violating betting policies. Last year, the NBA banned Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter for life after he limited his own in-game participation to influence betting outcomes on his performance.
Joe Maloney, an official from the American Gaming Association, noted that legal online betting platforms do not encourage misconduct among players but rather serve as tools to help leagues and authorities detect it.
“We now have gambling policies that are enshrined in most instances in agreements between legal sportsbooks and the leagues, but also in agreements with the leagues and their players unions,” Maloney explained.
**Calls for Comprehensive Reform**
Each league maintains specific rules regarding player conduct related to gambling. Online platforms enable sophisticated tracking of potential infractions. DraftKings stated on Thursday that online sports betting remains the best method to monitor suspicious activity.
Following the suspension of five NFL players in 2023 for gambling violations, the players’ association warned agents that mobile platforms can track their clients’ betting activity. The NFL also launched an extensive education campaign. Since then, no NFL players have been suspended for gambling infractions.
“Something’s working with the NFL, and the other leagues have to similarly make investments in education,” Maloney said.
A former U.S. federal prosecutor, who requested anonymity due to potential involvement in related cases, urged professional sports to conduct a “top to bottom” overhaul of compliance measures and reassess their deepening ties with wagering platforms.
“If I was a team or one of the leagues themselves, I would be freaking out,” the former prosecutor stated.
The broader concern lies with the structure of today’s wagering markets, especially player-specific bets—also known as “prop bets”—which relate to events or statistics within a game. These bets are easier to manipulate compared to game outcomes.
“It’s much more difficult to manipulate the outcome of a game. A player can go down with an injury, or take himself out of the game, or miss a shot. It’s not the same as traditional point-shaving,” he explained, referring to players intentionally affecting the point spread.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver told ESPN earlier this week that the league had asked some betting partners to limit prop bets on marginal players to reduce risk.
—
The recent investigations and arrests underscore the challenges and vulnerabilities that accompany the burgeoning relationship between professional sports and legalized gambling. As the leagues navigate these complexities, maintaining the integrity of the games remains paramount.
https://www.staradvertiser.com/2025/10/25/sports/sports-breaking/nba-insider-arrests-highlight-risks-of-leagues-embracing-sports-betting/