OT: NBA coach Billups caught in Mafia and sports gambling sting (LINK)

[upstater1]

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/23/nba-billups-rozier-sports-betting-arrests-gambling.html

This is relevant because you're going to hear so much about people suspecting payoffs when things look funky. Especially regarding refs.

If a player or coach making many millions is going to get knotted up with the mob, you're telling me it's not going to happen to referees?

Hard to believe they will be completely clean.

The idea that you can bet but not on your own sport? That's kind of laughable.

There is no protection for college players or refs either.

I'm not going to mention the ridiculous calls in the Patriots game 2 weeks ago, but I watched a Champions League soccer game this weekend and read social media on the ref's decisions (which were some of the most bizarre things you've ever seen, like a goal disallowed because the defending team committed a penalty a split second before the goal). A guy given a red card because his arm swung backward and grazed the defender who was tackling him (American football style) on a breakaway. The social media were all about rumors and payoffs and crooked refs. Why? Because this happens in international soccer. There are crooked refs in soccer and scandals are frequent enough.

The NBA already has a problem with former refs like Donaghy and now you have coaches and players involved.

 

[WazzuWheatfarmer]

Sports scores have been widely influenced by gambling for a while now. College and Pro. If you choose to deny that, I think you’re just being naive. There are all kinds of gambling commercials aired during games. There is just far too much gambling money involved for the sport to be pure anymore. It’s sad. But true. The officials have the power to easily influence scores and results of games. If it’s still entertaining, then watch it. I still watch the Patriots and Cougs when I have time. But understand that the results of these games are strongly influenced by money. It’s unfortunate, but undeniable at this point.

 

[Hammer of Thor]

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/10/23/nba-billups-rozier-sports-betting-arrests-gambling.html

This is relevant because you're going to hear so much about people suspecting payoffs when things look funky. Especially regarding refs.

If a player or coach making many millions is going to get knotted up with the mob, you're telling me it's not going to happen to referees?

Hard to believe they will be completely clean.

The idea that you can bet but not on your own sport? That's kind of laughable.

There is no protection for college players or refs either.

I'm not going to mention the ridiculous calls in the Patriots game 2 weeks ago, but I watched a Champions League soccer game this weekend and read social media on the ref's decisions (which were some of the most bizarre things you've ever seen, like a goal disallowed because the defending team committed a penalty a split second before the goal). A guy given a red card because his arm swung backward and grazed the defender who was tackling him (American football style) on a breakaway. The social media were all about rumors and payoffs and crooked refs. Why? Because this happens in international soccer. There are crooked refs in soccer and scandals are frequent enough.

The NBA already has a problem with former refs like Donaghy and now you have coaches and players involved.

There’s a reason professional sports almost went under, back 100 years ago. Judge Landis really cleaned up MLB’s act, and the other pro and amateur leagues followed suit, and sports as entertainment thrived and grew.

Yet another short term money grab decision by all professional leagues, to suddenly think things will be different 100 years later and get in bed with these gambling companies now that it’s legal. Let’s hope they’ll correct course before something really serious happens and people get turned off to professional and college sports altogether.

 

[FreeTedWilliams]

You could have (and I did) predicted this was coming! All professional sports are now in bed with gambling companies, and of course, that cuts into the mafia's business. AI can easily see when there is a strange bet(s) made and then when they start looking at the game tape, they should be able to figure out who is fixing the game!

The NBA is dead to me after their season sullying cops and schilling for Biden. I'll never watch another game, plus Lebron might be the biggest ahole on the planet! I hope this is wide ranging and tanks the entire league!! Not enough bad things can happen to the NBA as far as I'm concerned.

It is going to be tough after a coach and players are arrested for gambling fixes, for anyone to take the NBA seriously again! I wonder how long it takes Vegas to take every NBA game off the board.

 

[cmasspatsfan]

Prop bets are the biggest issue, players and refs have so much control on prop bets.

 

[sb1]

The Goff TD in KC being reviewed by the league for a penalty after it happened and then being taken off the board after one was "found" is as dirty as it gets. If the NFL thinks they can get away with blatantly favoring one team or a preferred outcome like this they better tread very carefully.

 

[VrabelJr]

Gambling is for games with well known probabilities that can be modeled and verified. Sports are not that. Ergo, gambling on sports should not exist nor be as pervasive as it is in modern society. Problem solved.

 

[VrabelJr]

Terry Rozier has also been arrested in case we want to add that to the subject.

 

[NFL Mystique]

What prison time could they face if guilty? This seems absolutely crazy

 

[Tunescribe]

What prison time could they face if guilty? This seems absolutely crazy

People with money seldom go to prison these days.

 

[Steve102]

None of this is good.

 

[FreeTedWilliams]

NBAers Chauncey Billups, ‘Scary Terry’ Rozier arrested in major gambling bust involving 4 Mafia families, LA Lakers and LeBron James

The mob is accused of paying Chauncey Billups and former NBA player Damon Jones, 49, to act as “face cards” to attract high rollers to big-money poker games that were fixed using sophisticated tech…

nypost.com

Lakers, Raptors, Hornets, Trail Blazers involved in NBA gambling scandal: DOJ

The multimillion-dollar scheme, which took place between January 2022 and March 2024, allegedly involved sharing non-public information with bettors.

nypost.com

The Charlotte Hornets, Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Lakers and Toronto Raptors were all named in the indictment, Joseph Nocella Jr., the US attorney for the Eastern District of New York, told reporters.

The multimillion-dollar scheme, which took place between January 2022 and March 2024, allegedly involved sharing non-public information with bettors, including when players would be sitting out games or would pull themselves early from games.


So, they were in bed with the mob, helping to fix poker games, and betting. At least 4 NBA teams involved.

 

[Vindicate]

Boutte is like

Jk for the record lol.

 

[Pape]

read the article this morning... i think its safe to say "no good will come with this"...


and the NFL keeps getting deeper and deeper in bed with the gambling purveyors... Turning a blind eye in the chase to secure their ranks within the Billionaires club...

 

[lancerman]

Whatever happened to Bill Russell, the strong silent type

 

[lancerman]

Also I for one am shocked that sports leagues getting in bed with gambling led to corruption. If only some people brought up that this was something that was possible before.

 

[Pape]

If only some people brought up that this was something that was possible before.

If only...

 

[JoeSixPat]

Things have really gone to Hell if the Mafia is involved in illegal gambling.

 

[Boomer B]

Terry Rozier has career earnings of over $160m. How colossally stupid does he have to be to get mixed up in this?

 

[JoeSixPat]

read the article this morning... i think its safe to say "no good will come with this"...


and the NFL keeps getting deeper and deeper in bed with the gambling purveyors... Turning a blind eye in the chase to secure their ranks within the Billionaires club...

Players always gave Belichick credit for not going along with Goodell/Gambling/Mafia's insistence that he tell everyone where their injuries were.

The injury report exists to assist legal and illegal gambling at the expense of the health of players.

Goodell has never made a secret of that.