Nov. 5 2025 | Isaac Garcia | Sports Editor
Disclaimer: this is an ongoing matter and the individuals discussed in this article are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
The NBA world was shocked the morning of Oct. 23 when it was announced that Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups had been arrested by the FBI at his home in Lake Oswego. He was indicted on charges of wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy, both tied to an illegal gambling ring that included members of the Gambino crime family as well as Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Cleveland Cavaliers assistant Damon Jones. This isn’t the first time Rozier has been on the radar for gambling-related activities, as in March of 2023, he was investigated by the NBA after they were alerted by a sportsbook that he was placing suspicious wagers on himself. Very soon after the news broke, it was announced by the NBA that both Billups and Rozier would be placed on leave from their respective teams.
The investigation — called “Operation: Royal Flush” — allegedly has Billups engaging in illegal gambling activities dating back to 2019. The FBI alleges that Billups and Rozier were “face cards” that helped bring in guests to rigged poker games. According to the FBI, these poker games included rigged shuffling machines, special contact lenses and glasses that allowed people, like Billups, to read the backs of cards. Because of the rigged machines, it could be determined by the machine at the table who would receive the winning hand. Once the conspirator had this information, they would use secret hand signals to other conspirators, who would use this information to win high-stakes games, which included up to six-figure hands. Other technology included a chip tray analyzer, which would read everyone’s cards with a hidden camera.
In addition — while not stating Billups’ name explicitly — it’s alleged that someone was giving out insider gambling information at some time in March of 2023 about Trail Blazers players who would be missing games to other conspirators in the case. While only the alias of “Co-Conspirator 8” is given, the information about Co-Conspirator 8 matches up strongly with Billups.
Similarly, it’s alleged that Damon Jones gave away insider information that LeBron James would not be playing in a game against the Bucks Feb. 9 of 2023, and allegedly sent a text message to a co-conspirator that read, “get a big bet on Milwaukee tonight.” It’s important to note that this information came before James was publicly listed on any sort of injury report.
For those unfamiliar with gambling — specifically sports gambling — a player of James’ stature greatly impacts betting odds, and the news of him being unavailable in a matchup will swing those betting odds towards the other team, thus making the total payout of a successful bet for said team — in this case, the Bucks — less profitable. However, if someone received the information that James would not be playing before it was public information and placed the bet before odds could change, they would receive a higher payout from a successful bet, which on Feb. 9, 2023, would have been the case as the Bucks won the game 115-106.
After Billups’ arrest, he was arraigned in a Portland courthouse, where he was released on multiple conditions. Included in these conditions were that he had to surrender his passport and that he could not travel outside of Oregon or Colorado — his home state — with an exception for travel to New York, where court proceedings for the case are to be held. When leaving the courtroom in a Klutch Sports hoodie and grey sweats, Billups — who was also a Hall of Fame player and 2004 finals MVP with the Detroit Pistons — was surrounded by reporters, to whom he said nothing before getting into a vehicle and leaving. Terry Rozier was released after putting his home up as collateral for a $6 million bail, and his next scheduled court appearance is Dec. 8.
As for the Trail Blazers, they’ve announced in a statement that they “are aware of the allegations involving head coach Chauncey Billups, and the Trail Blazers are fully cooperating with the investigation.” They then named Tiago Splitter, the former San Antonio Spurs center who won a title with the Spurs in 2014, as the interim head coach. Billups is due back in court Nov. 24, and his future as a coach seems almost nonexistent as he faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
While many fans are rightfully concerned about what this may mean for the team, some fans, most of whom have been calling for his firing for some time, were more than happy to see Billups go and make way for a new hire. In their first game after the incident, the Trail Blazers beat the Golden State Warriors in the Moda Center by a score of 139-119 and have gone 4-2 since that game.
It remains to be seen not only how the case will be resolved in a court of law, but how it affects the team long-term. For the basketball product, it’s worth noting that Splitter comes from a background that includes who many feel was the best coach of the decade in Gregg Popovich, and he was a member of the 2014 Spurs team that moved the ball beautifully en route to a dismantling of the Miami Heat in those NBA finals. This could signal what kind of offense he might try to install in Portland.
For the most part, Blazers players have refused to take media questions about the matter, with the sole exception of Deni Avdija, who said, “It’s not an easy situation. We’re thinking about him and his family. We really love Chauncey and what he’s done with this organization. I don’t know a lot of the details, I don’t really want to get into that, I’m trying to focus on the game. But my heart is with him and his family for sure.”
This is the next episode in an emerging trend of gambling troubles in professional sports. Just last year, Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter — the younger brother of current Brooklyn Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. — received a lifetime ban for violating the NBA’s gambling guidelines and currently faces federal charges himself.
The NBA isn’t the only league facing gambling-related issues, as the NFL has had four different instances of punishing players or coaches for violating league gambling policy since 2019.
This saga correlates with a 2018 Supreme Court ruling that removed a federal ban on gambling. At the time of writing, 32 states — plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico — allow some form of online sports betting, making it more accessible than it’s ever been. According to statista.com, sports betting revenue generated in the United States went from $400 million in 2018 to more than $11 billion in 2023, and according to a study from JAMA Internal Medicine, the online search for “am I addicted to gambling” has increased by 23% since 2018 through June 2024. While this doesn’t necessarily explain the rise in recent gambling scandals in sports, it does raise the question: Is the increased acceptance of gambling in the United States infiltrating sports leagues and harming the integrity of the game?
Deciding to gamble should involve betting responsibly and engaging in healthy behaviors such as setting a hard spending limit and knowing when to quit. If struggling with a gambling addiction, call the National Problem Gambling Helpline (1-800-522-4700) to be connected with helpful resources.
Contact the author at howlsports@mail.wou.edu
