What we know about NBA gambling and daring poker game arrests

US authorities announced several high-profile arrests on Thursday for illegal sports betting, including star players and coaches in the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Among those detained were Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat player Terry Rozier, both of whom were arrested after their teams’ games on Wednesday.

The arrests are part of a broader investigation into illegal gambling that has led to two charges, the FBI said – one involving players allegedly faking injuries to influence betting odds and the other involving an illegal poker ring linked to organized crime.

Here’s what we know about the cases.

FBI Director Kash Patel described the allegations to reporters as “mind-boggling”.

That includes charges in two major cases, officials said, both involving fraud.

The first case is called “Operation Nothing But Bet,” in which players and associates allegedly used inside information to manipulate wagers on major sports betting platforms.

According to New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch, in some cases, players altered their performance or removed themselves from the game to make sure the bets were paid. The profits of those islands were thousands of dollars.

The second case is more complex, authorities said, and involves four of New York’s five major crime families as well as professional athletes.

The accused in the case are accused of participating in a scheme to steal millions of dollars by breaking into illegal poker games.

They read pre-marked cards using “highly sophisticated” technology, including off-the-shelf shuffling machines, special contact lenses and eye glasses, according to officials. They also used an X-ray table that could read face-up cards.

Victims were lured into playing the game with former professional athletes, who acted as “face cards” in the scheme. The victims were unaware that everyone including dealers and other players were involved in the scam.

Authorities said they began investigating the poker game in 2019, which has spread to several locations including the Hamptons, Las Vegas, Miami and Manhattan.

The accused allegedly laundered the profits through bank wire and cryptocurrency.

They are also accused of committing violent acts, including robberies at gunpoint and extortion against victims.

Both schemes involved multimillion-dollar thefts and robberies spanning several years and 11 states, authorities said.

In all, authorities say 34 defendants were indicted on charges related to the two fraud cases.

Six people were indicted in the first case of players allegedly causing injuries to influence betting odds, including Miami Heat player Rozier.

New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said that in March 2023, Rozier, then playing for the Charlotte Hornets, allegedly let others close to him know that he planned to leave the game early due to an alleged injury.

Members of the group then used that information to place fraudulent bets and withdraw money, she said.

Commissioner Tisch said Thursday after Rosier’s arrest that he “is already benched for integrity, not career injury”.

Former NBA player Damon Jones was also arrested. He is said to have been involved in two games that were allegedly part of the scheme in February 2023, when the Los Angeles Lakers met the Milwaukee Bucks, and in a January 2024 game between the Lakers and the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Authorities identified a total of seven NBA games between February 2023 and March 2024 that were part of the case:

• February 9, 2023 – Los Angeles Lakers vs. Milwaukee Bucks

• March 23, 2023 – Charlotte Hornets vs. New Orleans Pelicans

• March 24, 2023 – Portland Trail Blazers vs. Chicago Bulls

• April 6, 2023 – Orlando Magic vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

• January 15, 2024 – Los Angeles Lakers vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

• January 26, 2024 – Toronto Raptors vs. Los Angeles Clippers

• March 20, 2024 – Toronto Raptors vs. Sacramento Kings

A second case involving illegal poker games had a total of 31 defendants, including Portland Trail Blazers coach Billups, who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame last year.

Officials said three people have been charged in both cases.

Thirteen members and associates of the Bonanon, Genovese and Gambino crime families in New York were also indicted in the illegal poker case.

These charges include robbery, extortion, wire fraud, bank fraud and illegal gambling.

The accused have been arrested and will be produced in court later on Thursday, officials said. They are expected to be arraigned in a Brooklyn, New York, court at a later date.

In a statement Thursday, the NBA said it is in the process of reviewing the federal charges announced and is cooperating with authorities.

The league added that Rozier and Billups are being placed “on immediate leave” by their teams.

“We take these allegations very seriously and the integrity of our game is our top priority,” the statement said.

Authorities said the alleged scheme involved four of New York’s five most notorious crime families.

Five families, the Bonanno, Colombo, Gambino, Genovese and Lucchese, have ruled the city’s Italian American mafia since 1931.

In the 1990s, the proliferation of mob-driven Mafia activity was curtailed in the 1990s with the help of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and then-New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

But, as Thursday’s allegations suggest, the Mafia hasn’t completely gone away.

The five families are part of a larger American-Sicilian mafia operation known as La Cosa Nostra, which translates as “Our Thing”, and members often work closely with their counterparts in Sicily.

On the Italian side, gangsters consider New York City a “gym” where their members are hardened, says Anna Sergi, professor of criminology and expert on modern organized crime. previously told the BBC.