FBI names 37 suspects in sweeping NBA insider betting and mob-linked poker sting
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The FBI announced Thursday in New York the arrest of 37 people in two connected gambling investigations that officials say infiltrated both the National Basketball Association and a nationwide network of rigged poker games.
FBI Director Kash Patel told reporters the probes—dubbed Operation Nothing But Bet and Operation Royal Flush—uncovered what he described as “a wide-sweeping criminal enterprise” that combined insider wagering on NBA contests with poker tables manipulated by New York crime families.
Two operations, one scheme
The poker side, Operation Royal Flush, resulted in 31 arrests. Prosecutors allege members of the Bonanno, Gambino, Lucchese and Genovese organizations financed games that used high-tech card shufflers, altered equipment and covert signals to defraud players of tens of millions of dollars.
Operation Nothing But Bet produced six additional arrests tied to insider betting on NBA prop wagers. Those charged include Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and former NBA player Damon Jones. Investigators say confidential information about player availability was passed along before certain games, influencing bets on whether specific athletes would exit early.
High-profile names and high-tech cheating
Patel called the case “the insider trading saga for the NBA.” Authorities contend Billups also served as a “celebrity face card” at poker events to entice unsuspecting participants into games already fixed by technology capable of reading opponents’ hands.
“The fraud is mind-boggling,” Patel said. “We’re talking tens of millions in theft and robbery.”
Warning to the sports world
Asked about the implication for other leagues, Patel answered, “If you’re participating in legal gambling, you have nothing to worry about. If you’re participating in illegal conduct, you have everything to worry about. And this case shows it.”
FBI Assistant Director Christopher Reya added that Thursday’s indictments are “likely just the tip of the iceberg.”
Source: Hoops Wire
