Overview
- More than 30 people were arrested this week in federal cases tied to illegal gambling, including Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier, who were placed on leave and charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering while denying wrongdoing.
- Court filings outline tampered shuffling machines that read card order, X-ray tables, marked cards visible through special lenses, and off-site operators signaling a “cheating team,” with documented losses totaling at least $7.15 million and one victim allegedly down $1.8 million in 2023.
- Prosecutors link the operation’s protection and enforcement to La Cosa Nostra affiliates and describe threats, assaults, and extortion to collect debts, citing messages and incidents in Manhattan, the Hamptons, Miami, and Las Vegas.
- A separate probe alleges Rozier and others exploited nonpublic NBA information for prop bets, regulators and integrity monitors reported unusual patterns, and Billups is due back in federal court on Nov. 24.
- Reports of a $1 million loss tied to a purported ex-NFL “front man” remain unverified in public filings, as leagues and sportsbooks face heightened scrutiny and New York officials point to integrity monitoring and rising problem-gambling indicators.