The arrest of an NBA coach and player in two extensive federal investigations highlights the potential cost of working with the gambling industry. US sports leagues jumped in to capitalize on the multi-billion dollar boom of legalized betting.
Former Detroit Pistons star Chauncey Billups, an NBA Hall of Famer, was detained for his alleged involvement in fabricated illegal poker games, which the prosecution claims were connected to Mafia crime families.
In both cases, former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier were accused of manipulating his play for the benefit of bettors.
The scope of the fraud was described as “mind-boggling,” according to FBI director Kash Patel, who described the criminal enterprise as “a criminal enterprise that encompasses both the NBA and La Cosa Nostra.” ”
It’s not necessarily surprising, though, for those who have witnessed how US leagues have grown more closely connected to the explosive sports betting industry.
Any of us can access a gambling app anywhere we are in seconds thanks to mobile and smartphone gambling, according to Dr. Professor of psychology and head of Vancouver’s University of British Columbia’s Center for Gambling Research.
I study the psychology of gambling harm and the psychology of sports gambling, how betting on a game might increase the excitement or the type of fandom of sports
In this most recent story about the NBA arrest, it ;s; we primarily think about that in terms of the fan. sort of brings a focus on the athletes
“They’re working in a world where there are so many gambling and opportunity opportunities that they are unable to resist.
The teams work with gambling, according to the statement. firms, Players can be sponsored by the major leagues because they are all partnered.
The players and coaches are quite a bit exposed here, and that includes the way that gambling information is woven into sports broadcast, both in terms of the commentary and the odds updates. ”
Professional leagues took care to distance themselves from the lucrative operations of illegal bookmakers and offshore betting organizations up until 2018 and sports wagering was prohibited in most US states.
However, the US Supreme Court overturned a 1992 federal law that effectively outlawed sports betting in most states seven years ago.
In a 2014 New York Times opinion piece, NBA commissioner Adam Silver argued that sports betting should be pushed into the open so that it could be properly monitored and regulated. ”
It should come as no surprise that Silver and other league officials are attempting to seize control of the pie.
According to estimates from the American Gaming Association (AGA), which promotes the industry and monitors the economic impact of commercial gaming, commercial sports betting revenue has reached $ 10 billion as of August 2025. 9% more than the previous year’s same time last year.
However, according to the NBA, the indictments that were made public on Thursday stifled what ought to have been a celebratory season-opening week in the wake of a new, 11-year, $77 billion media rights agreement.
Billups and Rozier’s arrests shocked players in the league, but they also quickly changed their tune about the issue of the bust-driven online bets.
The way fans interact with each other has changed thanks to the prevalence of “prop” bets, which allow bettors to wager on in-game factors like how many points or assists a player will receive or even details like whether he’ll make his first three-point attempt.
Regardless of the game’s quality
When we step on the court, our players experience it a lot, according to Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic.
Get a win before you used to hear ‘Vuc,” Now it reads, “Hey, my parlay is 10 rebounds. ’
It really pisses me off because it disrespects the game, I think. ”
Jaylen Brown, the star player for the Boston Celtics, demanded more from the NBA to assist players in navigating the new environment.
When people have money involved, he said, it causes a negative conversation between the game and the players.
Stephen Curry, the star of the Golden State Warriors, stated on Thursday that he was reassured that the game’s integrity would remain intact. ”
However, teammate Al Horford argued that more must be done to “protect the players and be better.” ”
