The arrests of Terry Rozier, Chauncey Billups are the latest gambling scandals in sports

Portland Trail Blazers Head coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA guard and coach Damon Jones were among those arrested by the FBI as part of an investigation into illegal gambling and sports betting on Thursday.

The investigation was linked to members of the La Cosa Nostra crime family.

This arrest has created a stir NBA World, this is yet another chapter in which notable athletes and coaches have been involved in illegal sports gambling over the past century.

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(Left) Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups talks to the referee during a first half timeout against the Sacramento Kings at Moda Center on October 10, 2025 in Portland, Oregon. (Right) Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier (2) exits Cattler vs. Cattler vs. Cattle. Detroit, Michigan, on November 12, 2024. (Jaime Valdez/Imag Images; Rick Osentoski/Imag Images)

Here’s a look at some of the biggest betting scams in professional sports.

• In 1920, eight members Chicago White Sox A Chicago grand jury indicted him for fixing the 1919 World Series. This is known as the “Black Sox Scandal”. A jury returned a not guilty verdict on the players, but White Sox owner Charles Comiskey suspended the players, including “Shoeless” Joe Jackson. A year after the suspension, new baseball commissioner Kennesaw Mountain Landis banned him permanently.
• In 1946, Hockey Hall of Famer Babe Pratt was suspended for gambling. A few weeks later, he NHL The Board of Governors issued a warning that any further incidents of gambling would result in a player being suspended for life.
• In 1948, two years after a warning from the NHL Board of Governors, Billy Taylor and Don Gallinger were banned for life for betting on the game.
• In 1951, four members of Adolf Rupp trained Kentucky Wildcats He was accused of taking bribes from gamblers for the NIT game against Loyola in the 1948-1949 season. Between 1947 and 1951, 35 active and former players were accused of fixing at least 86 games. An NCAA investigation found several violations, leading to Kentucky’s 1952–53 season being voided.
• In 1989, Cincinnati Reds Legend Pete Rose was banned for life for gambling on the game. Rose was found to have placed several bets on the Reds to win while playing and managing the team from 1985-1987. After years of claiming his innocence, he admitted to gambling in 2004. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred posthumously removed Rose from the permanent ineligible list in May 2025, months after his death, and Rose was finally able to be considered for the Baseball Hall of Fame. Rose is baseball’s all-time leader in hits with 4,256.

NBA legend Chauncey Billups, Heat’s Terry Rozier arrested as part of FBI gambling probe

Pete Rose waves to fans during the unveiling of a bronze statue dedicated to him at Great American Ball Park on June 17, 2017 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (IMAGN)

• In 1996, 13 Boston College football players were suspended for gambling. In Syracuse’s 45-17 loss, two players scored against their own team. Head coach Dan Henning informed school officials and resigned after hearing allegations that players had placed bets with bookmakers. No evidence of point-shaving was found.
• In 2007, then-assistant coach Rick Touchette was placed on two years of probation after pleading guilty to conspiracy and promoting gambling as an assistant coach with the then-Phoenix Coyotes. He was reassigned by the NHL the following season. Also, initially implicated in a gambling scheme called “Operation Slapshot” involving a New Jersey-based ring; Wayne Gretzky’s wife, Janet Jones; and Gretzky’s former agent and later Coyotes general manager Michael Barnett. Touchette is currently the head coach Philadelphia Flyers.
• In 2008, NBA referee Tim Donaghy pleaded guilty to wire fraud and transmitting betting information for taking thousands of dollars from a gambler in exchange for inside tips on games he worked on. He was sentenced by a federal judge to 15 months in prison.
• In 2023, Golfer Phil Mickelson The book, written by gambler Billy Walters, alleges he lost more than $1 billion over the past three decades. In the book, Walters wrote that Mickelson wanted to bet $400,000 on the 2012 Ryder Cup, when he played for the United States. The six-time major winner has ruled out betting on the Ryder Cup, writing in a social media post that he has stopped gambling. Mickelson said he crossed the line from mediocrity to addiction.
• In 2023, Ottawa Senators forward Shane Pinto was suspended 41 games for sports gambling. The NHL said there was no evidence Pinto bet on hockey and did not disclose any details on Pinto’s return to the Senators.

NBA player Terry Rozier’s lawyer slams FBI after arrest

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) with translator Ippei Mizuhara against the Chicago White Sox during a spring training baseball game at Camelback Ranch-Glendale. (Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports)

• In March 2024, the Los Angeles Dodgers Interpreter and close friend of newly acquired Two-Way Star Shohei Ohtani, Ippei Mizuhara, was fired following reports of a connection to an illegal bookmaker. Three months later, Mizuhara pleaded guilty in federal court to bank and tax fraud for stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani’s bank account. He used the money to pay off his mounting gambling bets and debts with an illegal bookmaker, as well as $325,000 worth of baseball cards and his own medical bills. Mizuhara capitalized on the language barrier to prevent Ohtani’s financial advisors from understanding their client, and at times, Mizuhara even impersonated a player to prolong the fraud.
• In April 2024, the NBA banned Toronto Raptors forward Johnte Porter after a league investigation revealed he disclosed confidential information to sports bookmakers and bet on games. Porter also bet on the Raptors to lose. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver called Porter’s actions “reprehensible”. The investigation began after unusual gambling patterns regarding Porter’s performance on March 20 against the Sacramento Kings. The league ruled that Porter informed the bettor about his own health condition before that game, and said that another person – known as the NBA Bookmaker – bet $80,000 that Porter would not hit the numbers set for him in a parlay by an online sports book. That bet would have won $1.1 million.
• In June 2024, San Diego Padres Infielder Tukupita Marcano was banned for life by MLB for betting on baseball. Marcano placed 387 baseball bets totaling more than $150,000 with legal sportsbooks in 2022 and 2023, MLB said. The 24-year-old Venezuelan, with 149 games of major league experience, became the first active player in a century to serve a lifetime ban for gambling.
• Also in 2024, then-Oakland Athletics pitcher Michael Kelly was also suspended for one year for betting on minor league baseball, and three minor leaguers were also banned for one year for betting on major league games: San Diego pitcher Jay Groom and Andrew Salfrank of Roysardona and Roysardona Field. Philadelphia. Each of those four players took home less than $1,000 in salary. Salfranc and Rodriguez had previously played in the majors.

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Cleveland Guardians pitcher Emmanuel Klaas during a baseball game against the San Francisco Giants on June 17, 2025 in San Francisco. (Jeff Chiu/AP Photo, File)

• In February 2025, referee Pat Hoberg was fired MLB for sharing his legitimate sports gambling accounts with a friend who bet on baseball games and knowingly deleting electronic messages related to the league’s investigation. MLB stated that the investigation found no evidence that Hoberg personally placed bets on baseball or manipulated games, MLB Senior Vice President of On-Field Operations Michael Hill recommended that Hoberg be fired on May 24, 2024. Manfred upheld Hill’s decision. Among the top-ranked umpires who judge the strike zone, Hoberg can apply for reinstatement before spring training in 2026. MLB said the friend placed 141 baseball bets between April 2, 2021 and Nov. 1, 2023, totaling nearly $214,000 with a total winnings of $35,000. Hauberg worked eight of the Isles’ games.
• In July 2025, Major League Baseball held Cleveland Guardian Pitcher Luis Ortiz on paid leave without disciplinary action due to gambling probe. About a month later, two-time American League reliever of the year Emmanuel Klaas joined him. MLB extended Class and Ortiz’s paid leave “pending MLB’s investigation until further notice.” There is no update on the gambling investigation at the time of this writing.
• In September 2025, the NCAA announced that it was investigating possible violations of sports betting rules involving 13 former men’s basketball players who competed for Eastern Michigan, Temple, Arizona State, New Orleans, North Carolina A&T and Mississippi Valley State. The NCAA’s integrity monitoring program and network of sources flagged text messages and direct messages on social media platforms and uncovered unusual betting activity around regular-season games. Violations include student-athletes betting on and against their own teams, sharing information with third parties for sports betting purposes, manipulating scoring or results, and/or refusing to participate in inspections.

Fox News’ Ryan Morick and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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