NBA in response to arrests Miami guard Terry Rozier and Portland coach Chauncey Billups last week for allegedly role in gambling schemesbegan an analysis of how the league could protect not only the integrity of the game, but also its players and coaches.
The league made the revelations in a memo sent to all 30 teams, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press.
“Given the proliferation of legal betting in most U.S. states, recurring integrity issues in sports, and the emergence of new betting formats and markets, now is the right time to carefully re-evaluate how sports betting should be regulated and how sports leagues can best protect themselves, their players and their fans,” the memo sent by the NBA's legal department said.
Last week, two indictments were unsealed and nearly three dozen people – most notably Billups and Rozier – were arrested by federal officials.
Rozier was arrested as federal officials allege he conspired with co-conspirators to help them win bets based on his statistical performance in the 2023 game. The charges are similar to those brought against former Toronto FC player Jontay Porter before his commissioner Adam Silver suspended him from the league in 2024.
Bookmakers discovered unusual betting patterns on the game in question – bets involving Rozier were flagged and immediately reported to the NBA – and the league investigated the matter but did not find sufficient evidence to conclude that Rozier had violated any rules.
“While an unusual bet on Terry Rozier's Unders in a March 2023 game was discovered in real time because the bets were placed legally, we believe more can be done from a legal/regulatory perspective to protect the integrity of the NBA and our affiliated leagues,” the league told its teams. “In particular, proposed bets on the performance of individual players raise heightened concerns about fairness and require additional scrutiny.”
The league will also review injury reports. The NBA releases injury reports every hour, and teams are required to disclose player statuses at certain intervals before the next game. The NBA added injury reporting several years ago in the interest of transparency.
Injury statuses can be used by bettors to decide what bets to make – and if bettors get this information before the rest of the public, it amounts to insider trading. Former NBA player Damon Jones is facing charges after officials said he tipped off bettors about the health status of two Los Angeles Lakers players. The details of this allegation clearly show that Jones discussed the availability of LeBron James and former Lakers center Anthony Davis with players before their statuses for certain games were publicly known. There is no indication that James or Davis knew what Jones was allegedly doing.
There have been other examples of similar tipping with other clubs, federal officials said.
“With sports betting now such a large part of the modern sports landscape, every effort must be made to ensure that NBA players, coaches and other personnel are fully aware of the dire risks that gambling can pose to their careers and livelihoods; that our injury disclosure policies are adequate; and that players are protected from harassment by players,” the memo states.
The league also said it is looking for input from teams if they have any ideas on how best to proceed moving forward.
