Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier Arrested in Wide-Ranging Gambling Investigation

^{Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, pictured above, is one of the 34 people arrested in connection with an illegal gambling scheme busted after a federal investigation. (Photo: Marta Lavandier / AP)}

Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups were among 34 people arrested across 11 states in a wide-ranging federal gambling investigation FBI officials announced Thursday.

According to the FBI, Rozier’s arrest is connected to a case involving an illegal sports betting operation, while Billups’ arrest is related to allegations that he was part of a rigged underground poker game operation run by organized crime figures in New York.

The multi-year investigation uncovered "tens of millions of dollars in fraud and theft and robbery" in these schemes, according to FBI director Kash Patel.

Officials: Rozier Took Cut of Gambling Winnings Based on Insider Info 

Terry Rozier was arrested Thursday morning at a hotel in Orlando, Florida. Authorities allege the NBA veteran provided confidential information to help other co-conspirators place bets on games, earning flat fees or a share of the profits from winning bets in exchange. Teams targeted during the scheme include the Charlotte Hornets, Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Lakers, and the Toronto Raptors.

Rozier’s attorney, Jim Trusty, criticized officials for the manner in which they handled Rozier’s arrest.

“They characterized Terry as a subject, not a target, but at 6 am this morning they called to tell me FBI agents were trying to arrest him in a hotel,” Trusty said in his statement. “It is unfortunate that instead of allowing him to self-surrender they opted for a photo op. They wanted the misplaced glory of embarrassing a professional athlete with a perp walk. That tells you a lot about the motivations in this case.”

Rozier’s case is reportedly connected to the same sports betting scheme that resulted in the lifetime ban of former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter, who admitted to manipulating his performances to help bettors win prop bets on his statistics. Porter has since pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges related to that case.

Suspicious Betting Dates Back to 2023

Rozier has been under investigation since at least 2023. In July, ESPN reported that one professional bettor had won 30 wagers on Rozier’s performance during a March 23, 2023 game, while he was playing with the Charlotte Hornets. 

Rozier left that game during the first quarter with a foot injury, and the bettor in question later placed $13,759 in bets on Rozier’s performance at the Harrah’s Gulf Coast casino in Biloxi, Mississippi. 

The casino flagged the suspicious wagers but still paid out the full winnings. Shortly after that game, the integrity monitoring firm U.S. Integrity sent an alert to sportsbooks titled “Suspicious Wagering - Terry Rozier NBA Player Props.”

New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said that members of the betting scheme wagered more than $200,000 on Under prop bets on Rozier’s performance, with Rozier allegedly receiving a percentage of the profits.

The NBA investigated the unusual betting activity in 2023 but found no rule violations at the time. Rozier’s attorney told ESPN in July that his client had met with NBA and FBI officials multiple times that year. 

Billups Connected to Rigged Mafia Poker Games

Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups was arrested in Oregon in relation to a separate indictment related to underground poker games operated by La Cosa Nostra crime families in New York.

According to officials, the group is accused of stealing millions from their victims by using electronic cheating technologies, including rigged shuffling machines, poker chip trays with hidden cameras to read cards, and X-ray poker tables that could see the cards even when face down. The rigged shuffling machines in particular were able to transmit card data to off-site operators.

The illegal poker games took place in the Hamptons, Miami, Las Vegas, and Manhattan. According to the FBI, the defendants also robbed a victim at gunpoint to steal one of the rigged shuffling machines.

 “The years of investigative work that culminated with this morning’s operations seem reminiscent of a Hollywood movie, but this wasn’t luck, and this wasn’t theatrics,” said Ricky Patel, the special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New York. “This was an evidence-driven, relentless and unified effort among law enforcement through what we have dubbed ‘Operation Royal Flush.’”

Former Cleveland Cavaliers player and assistant coach Damon Jones was also among those arrested on Thursday. He is accused of providing inside information to those placing bets on NBA games. 

NBA's Response to Arrests

A total of six defendants have been charged in the sports betting case, while 31 were arrested in connection with the illegal poker games. Jones was among the three people that have been accused of being involved in both schemes. 

Both Billups and Rozier have been placed on leave by their respective teams, with the NBA promising to continue cooperating with authorities.

“We are in the process of reviewing the federal indictments announced today,” The NBA said in a statement. “We take these allegations with the utmost seriousness, and the integrity of our game remains our top priority.”