A massive betting scandal has hit American basketball, with players and a coach now facing charges.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the United States attorney for Brooklyn announced two indictments in what they say is a massive cheating conspiracy involving current and former basketball players, coaches and members of New York’s organised crime families. On Thursday, the FBI also carried out arrests, including of NBA players allegedly involved in the scam.
The news came during the NBA season’s opening week, just as the league launched new broadcast deals worth $76bn over 11 years. It’s the latest in a series of scandals to hit US sport since sports betting took off in 2018.
Here is what we know.
A sweeping federal investigation has shaken the world of professional basketball, uncovering ties between NBA figures and organised crime in an illegal betting network worth millions of dollars.
“The investigative work that culminated with this morning’s operation are reminiscent of a Hollywood movie. But this was not luck, and it was not theatrics,” said Ricky Patel, the special agent in charge of homeland security investigations, who has led the ongoing probe.
— FBI (@FBI) October 23, 2025
But the games were rigged. Crime groups allegedly used fake shuffling machines and an X-ray poker table that showed players’ hidden cards, letting them cheat victims out of huge sums.
Officials say victims lost at least $7m overall. Those charged include game organisers, suppliers of the cheating equipment, and participants, among them Billups, who allegedly took part in several such games in 2019.
These are the defendants named in the indictments that include former and current NBA players:
According to the indictment, the defendants and their partners used high-tech cheating devices and secret communication systems to control the outcome of underground poker games.
Some of the methods include:
The hidden reader
Other tools used:
The defendants also occasionally used other technologies, including:
According to experts, this is unexpected.
“The idea that poker would be at least part of today’s news was unexpected,” Mike McCann, professor of law at Harvard University, told Al Jazeera.
“And also the alleged role of the mafia, that there are mafia ties to this, that kind of came out of nowhere,” he added.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the NBA said it is currently reviewing the newly announced federal indictments and is cooperating fully with authorities.
The league also confirmed that Rozier and Billups have been placed on immediate leave from their respective teams.
