FBI arrests Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups for connections to illegal forms of gambling
Sports leagues have been investigating illegal betting on games since the 1919 Black Sox scandal. On Oct. 23, the FBI arrested former five-time all-star 2004 NBA finals MVP and head coach of the Portland Trailblazers Chauncey Billups for allegedly being involved in the rigging of high stakes mafia associated poker games against high rollers. Billups was relieved of his position as head coach on the same day. The NBA has been investigating Rozier in 2023 for similar reasons that he was arrested Oct. 23. The FBI also arrested current Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier for allegedly taking himself out of games and telling one of his childhood friends before the information was accessible to the public. His friend would then sell the information to the highest bidders for a thousand dollars each. Saylen Noren ‘28 said, “I don’t think coaches and players should bet on their own sports because they can rig the game by playing worse or trying harder.”
Nic Otten ‘28 said, “I think gambling is great and that it should always stay in the world… it’s not gambling if you’re winning.”
According to ESPN, in 2001, a Louisville criminal Robert Stroud started an illegal gambling operation, including rigged games of poker run by prominent crime families in New York City. He recruited Billups to be a face card and to draw people into the operation. Illegal sports gambling operations are nothing new to the NBA. Since the year 2000, there have been five cases of NBA players involved in illegal gambling on games, including Jontay Porter and Tim Donaghy. The NBA has claimed they are going to crack down on illegal gambling and betting on games, though it will be hard to see if they can, given the increased amount of recent incidents.
Stroud and Billups would rig games using technology such as altered shuffling machines and x-rayed poker tables. Billups reportedly received up to $50,000 from the crime families per game that he participated in. The victims would then be threatened with violence to pay their amount of debt Stroud and Billups were able to walk away with over seven million dollars, according to the BBC. Billups was arrested Oct. 23 and charged with wire fraud and money laundering. His attorney has denied all accusations and Billups is expected to start trial this month.
