Scandal Season
Early in the morning on Thursday October 23rd, the FBI arrested 34 people across 11 states as part of a year-long investigation in relation to illegal sports betting and rigged mafia-ran poker games. Among the 34 arrested, multiple were currently involved with the NBA, whether coaching or playing. Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers coach and NBA hall of famer Chauncy Billups were among those arrested Thursday morning, shortly after their first games of the season.
While Terry Rozier was arrested because of an alleged illegal sports betting scheme, Billups is involved with a separate indictment. Billups was arrested in his Oregon residence for allegedly taking part in a rigged poker scheme run by mafia families in the New York area. Billups would use his celebrity status to lure innocent people into these rigged poker games. These games would include technology to give Billups and others involved a huge advantage over innocent people. The technology ranged from rigged shuffling machines to an x-ray see-through table that could read cards face down. With the information the technology would gather, Billups and others would be able to win big money from people in these rigged games.
In the sports betting indictment, even though Billups is not named, according to a report from David Purdum of ESPN, “the description of a co-conspirator, who allegedly told a bettor that a number of Trail Blazers players would miss a March 2023 game, had a playing and coaching career that matches Billups.”
This is bad for obvious reasons, as the coach of a team was using inside information that is not released to the public until 5:00 local time, and that means any ordinary people betting on the game have to wait to be able to see who is playing or not. Jason Quick, a Portland-based writer for The New York Times, describes how he felt as a fan and writer in the area: “It wasn’t just that he was accessible and pleasant. His messaging was admirable. He spoke of accountability, teamwork and caring about things beyond yourself. I believed in him. I trusted him. I respected him. And if the allegations are proven, I was wrong. And that makes me feel stupid. Angry. And sad. Now, imagine how those in and around the Blazers who really know him must feel. It has to be an overwhelming blend of betrayal, shock and confusion.”
It really goes to show how rare and remarkable this situation is. While the poker allegations do not involve the NBA, this is important because with the charges of wire fraud and money laundering against him, Billups could be facing significant prison time if found guilty.
We will see how the NBA handles this, as it was quite an interesting way to kick off the season.
