Congress Requests Briefing with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver After Sports Betting Scandal
By Robert Linnehan in Sports Betting News
Published:
- The House Committee on Energy and Commerce is requesting a briefing from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver
- Briefing will discuss recent indictment of NBA players and coaches regarding a sports betting scandal
- Requesting details on the recent sports betting scandal and plans from the NBA to prevent future incidents
Citing integrity concerns over the NBA, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce has requested a briefing from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver following a recent sports betting scandal.
Members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce requested the briefing after last week’s sports betting scandal allegations, which resulted in two federal indictments.
Members of the committee requested the briefing to receive further details on the scandal, actions the NBA plans to take to prevent future incidents, and an explanation of existing regulations that may allow illegal betting schemes to occur in the league.
More Information Needed
The House Committee on Energy and Commerce requested the briefing following last week’s announcement that a current NBA player and several coaches had been indicted on charges related to illegal sports fixing and gambling.
The committee requested Silver appear in a briefing no later that Friday, Oct. 31, to address the following five questions:
- Details about the fraudulent, illegal, and alleged betting practices in connection with NBA players, coaches, and officials, including the actions of NBA players and coaches identified in the recent indictment; as well as prior instances, some of which are identified above
- Actions the NBA intends to take to limit the disclosure of nonpublic information for illegal purposes
- Whether the NBA’s Code of Conduct for players and coaches effectively prohibits illegal activity, including the disclosure of non-public information for the purposes of illegal betting schemes
- An explanation of the gaps, if any, in existing regulations that allow illegal betting schemes to occur
- Whether and how the NBA is reevaluating the terms of its partnerships with sports betting companies
The federal government does not have regulatory say over legalized sports betting, as states are left to their own devices to regulate the industry. However, in the committee’s letter to Silver, the authors noted that the “committee has a long-standing role in oversight of the integrity and fairness of sport” and has had a role in several recent sports investigations.
“The Committee has jurisdiction over interstate commerce, consumer protection, and sports. Of note, the Committee has a long-standing role in oversight of the integrity and fairness of sport, including but not limited to investigations of steroid use in Major League Baseball, anti-doping measures in the Olympic Games, and sexual abuse of Olympic athletes.”
Silver ‘Deeply Disturbed’ by Sports Betting Scandal
Silver spoke publicly on the issue on Friday, Oct. 24, in an interview with Cassidy Hubbarth during the “NBA on Prime” debut.
“My initial reaction was that I was deeply disturbed. There is nothing more important to the league, and its fans, than the integrity of its competition. I had a pit in my stomach, it was very upsetting,” he said.
The NBA investigated Rozier’s betting activity and concluded he was not involved in any wrongdoing. Silver addressed the findings and the decision to allow Rozier to continue playing last season.
“What happened was, because bets were placed through (legal) betting companies, they picked up aberrational behaviors around a particular game in March 2023. That was brought to our attention by the regulators and betting companies. We then looked into that situation and we were very transparent about it. While there was aberrational betting, we frankly couldn’t find anything. Terry at the time cooperated, gave the league office his phone, sat down for an interview, and we ultimately concluded that there was insufficient evidence despite the aberrational behavior to move forward,” he said.
Silver said the league worked closely with the federal government and law enforcement for the next several years until the indictments were announced.
Two Indictments Covering Sports Betting, Poker
On Friday, Oct. 24, it was reported that Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier had been arrested through a federal investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York for potentially manipulating a 2023 game performance as part of an illegal sports betting ring. Shortly after, news also broke that current NBA coach and hall of fame member Chauncey Billups and former NBA player and coach Damon Jones had also been arrested for their roles in an illegal poker scheme involving New York families of the mafia.
Jones was involved in both the poker and sports betting indictments.
The sports betting case, dubbed “Operation Nothing But Net” by the FBI, involved similar individuals who also orchestrated the sports betting scheme involving former Raptors center Jontay Porter.
Six individuals were arrested, including Rozier, for their roles in manipulating the outcome of game performances. A federal investigation for Rozier was announced in January, centering around a March 23, 2023 game when Rozier was a member of the Charlotte Hornets. Rozier played less than 10 minutes in the game after leaving with what was described as a foot injury. Rozier averaged more than 35 minutes a game that season.
The individuals involved in the conspiracy knew when specific players would be sitting out futures games or who planned to pull themselves out of competition early, for purported injuries of illnesses.
The defendants placed bets on games involving the Los Angeles Lakers, Toronto Raptors, Charlotte Hornets, and Portland Trail Blazers, he said. They did so through online sports betting platforms and in-person at casino sportsbooks.
The poker scheme, dubbed “Operation Royal Flush” by the FBI, involved several New York Italian mafia families organizing rigged poker games to scam millions of dollars from its players. Thirteen members from New York mafia families have been indicted in the case. The poker games were rigged with various technological means to ensure who would win, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars being scammed from players at the games.
Players were promised the opportunity to play with Billups and Jones, former NBA players and coaches, to lure them into the games.
Regulatory Writer and Editor
Robert Linnehan covers all regulatory developments in online gambling and sports betting. He specializes in U.S. sports betting news along with casino regulation news as one of the most trusted sources in the country.
