NBA coach and player arrested illegal gambling probe
In a sweeping federal operation announced on October 23, 2025, authorities revealed that more than 30 individuals have been arrested in connection with two inter-linked criminal schemes involving illegal sports betting and rigged poker games tied to organised crime.
One of the central figures is Chauncey Billups, head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers. Billups was charged in an indictment that alleges his participation in a poker-ring scheme backed by several Mafia families, where underground high-stakes poker games were manipulated with cheating devices and co-ordinated across cities including Las Vegas, Miami, Manhattan and the Hamptons.
Also arrested was Terry Rozier of the Miami Heat. His case stems from a separate but related scheme in which he is alleged to have provided non-public information about NBA games—such as when he would exit a game early or miss playing time—to a betting network that placed prop-bets on his performance or absence.
Federal authorities characterised the gambling operations as “mind-boggling” in scale, noting the involvement of four major New York crime families (Bonanno, Gambino, Genovese, Lucchese) and running across at least eleven U.S. states.
The two indictments are titled separately: one labelled “Operation Nothing But Net” which deals with the sports-betting insider scheme; the other, “Operation Royal Flush,” concerns the rigged underground poker ring.
In the wake of the arrests, the NBA stated it is reviewing the indictments and has placed Billups and Rozier on immediate leave from their respective teams.
This case marks one of the most significant disruptions in the sports-betting and professional sports integrity realm, raising fresh questions about how gambling, insider information and organised crime intersect in elite athletics.
