A major gambling scandal in the United States has brought international attention, involving high-profile NBA figures and organised crime networks. On October 23, 2025, federal authorities unsealed indictments against 34 people, including Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, for allegedly taking part in a nationwide scheme to rig high-stakes poker games and manipulate sports betting outcomes.

Federal prosecutors say the operation relied on advanced technology to cheat participants in underground poker games across cities such as Las Vegas, Manhattan, Miami, and The Hamptons. Tools reportedly included X-ray tables, rigged shuffling machines, and special contact lenses that could read marked cards.

Bodyguards, nicknamed “Big Bruce,” were said to man doors to shadowy rooms where these games took place. Members and associates of the Bonanno, Gambino, and Genovese Mafia families were allegedly behind these games, while Billups and former NBA player Damon Jones acted as “face cards,” helping attract wealthy players to the rigged tables.

Details of the case, buried in a 22-page federal indictment, describe a sophisticated fraud scheme starting in 2019, with weekly poker games targeting wealthy players in New York City and other well-heeled neighborhoods.

High-stakes venues included the “Lexington Avenue Game,” run by the Bonanno family in a $30,000-per-month penthouse, and the “Washington Place Game,” run by the Gambino family in a Greenwich Village brownstone. Conspirators with nicknames like “Flappy” and “Pookie” coordinated the operations, paying NBA stars like Billups and Jones to lure participants, and sometimes offering tens of thousands of dollars per session. The total winnings allegedly exceeded $7 million, with individual players losing hundreds of thousands in a single game.

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The charges in the case include wire fraud conspiracy, money laundering, and participation in organized crime. The NBA has placed Billups and Rozier on immediate leave while the investigations are continuing.

If convictions occur, it could result in lengthy prison sentences and/or substantial fines for the individuals involved.