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Topics: NBA
Luke Davies
Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups have been arrested as part of an FBI sports betting investigation, according to sources close to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Rozier, 31, who plays for the NBA’s Miami Heat, was arrested at a hotel in Orlando, Florida, on Thursday morning (October 23).
The 31-year-old was left out of The Heat’s defeat against the Orlando Magic the previous day.
ESPN claims that “Sportsbooks in multiple states flagged suspicious betting interest on Rozier's statistics” before the Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans match on March 23, 2023.
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It is reported that an array of ‘unexpected’ bets - including 30 stakes in 46 minutes, worth a total of $13,759 – were placed in multiple states, which flagged suspicious betting patterns related to interest in his statistics, with a surge in bets placed on his points, rebounds and assists.
Jim Trusty, Rozier’s attorney, told ESPN that the basketball player met with the NBA and FBI several times in 2023, with the league initially determining that he was not guilty of wrongdoing at the time.
Journalist Charania also reported that Portland Trail Blazers coach Billups had been arrested for alleged illegal gambling.
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It is not clear where Billups was arrested, but two senior law enforcement officials told NBC News that his arrest was connected with a federal gambling-related investigation.
The FBI are expected to announce charges later today, according to officials with a press conference set to take place at 10 a.m. ET.
The case reportedly stems from the betting scandal involving Jontay Porter, who was banned from the NBA in 2024 for a gambling scheme around player prop bets.
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Porter, as well as four other men, pleaded guilty in the case, while two other conspirators have been involved in plea negotiations, according to court documents relayed by ESPN.
In recent years, the NBA have been working with sportsbook partners to combat manipulation.
Earlier this week, NBA commissioner Adam Silver addressed the issue on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’.
"We've asked some of our partners to pull back some of the prop bets, especially when they're on two-way players, guys who don't have the same stake in the competition, where it's too easy to manipulate something, which seems otherwise small and inconsequential to the overall score,” Silver said.
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"We're trying to put in place -- learning as we go and working with the betting companies -- some additional control to prevent some of that manipulation."
The Miami Heat, the Portland Trail Blazers and the NBA have been contacted by SPORTbible for comment