UPDATED: NBA’s Terry Rozier Arrested As Part of FBI Sports Betting Probe, Chauncey Billups for Alleged Illegal Gambling

By Robert Linnehan in Sports Betting News
Published:

- The Miami Heat guard was arrested early Thursday morning, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania
- Terry Rozier had been under federal investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York since January
- The Eastern District of New York and FBI director Kash Patel will hold a press conference at 10 a.m.
Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was arrested early Thursday morning as part of an FBI sports betting probe, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.
Rozier has been under federal investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York since January for potentially manipulating a 2023 game performance as part of an illegal sports betting ring.
The Eastern District of New York and FBI director Kash Patel will hold a press conference at 10 a.m. today to announce arrests from the investigation.
UPDATED: According to Charania, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups has also been arrested for alleged illegal gambling. ABC News also reported Billups has been charged in an illegal poker operation with mafia ties.
Manipulating Game Performance
According to Charania, Rozier was arrested this morning at a hotel in Orlando, FL. The Heat played Wednesday night, a 121-125 loss to the Orlando Magic, in which Rozier did not play due to a coach’s decision.
The game centering around the federal investigation took place on March 23, 2023, 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.
Rozier did not play another game for the Hornets that season.
The NBA investigated the game after suspicious betting patterns were reported, but did not find any violation of NBA rules.
This year, Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley also faced a federal and NBA investigation into suspicious gambling activity. Beasley was under investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Eastern District of New York. A major U.S. sportsbook identified unusual betting activity surrounding Beasley’s statistics beginning January 2024.
The game in question was a Jan. 31, 2024 matchup between the Bucks and Portland Trail Blazers. Odds on Beasley hitting his under for rebounds, which was set at 2.5 rebounds, went from nearly +120 to around -250 prior to the game.
Despite the strong movement to the under, Beasley recorded six rebounds for the game.
The federal government eventually revealed in August that Beasley was no longer a target of their investigation, but the NBA began an investigation of their own into Beasley this past September.
Similar Case to Jontay Porter
According to Charania, the case stems from the same sports betting ring involving former Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter. Four individuals, including Porter, pled guilty to conspiracy charges and admitted to manipulating game performances in the 2023-2024 season.
The NBA banned Porter for life last year after an investigation found the two-way backup forward/center provided a sports bettor with confidential information, limited his participation in one or more games for betting purposes, and bet on several NBA games.
Porter was found to have bet against the Raptors in a parlay while he traveled, but did not play, with the team earlier this year.
Most concerning, however, was news that broke in June that Porter faked at least two injuries so he could leave games early. He informed several individuals that he owed large gambling debts to about his plan so they could place several large “under” bets on his performance.
Porter eventually pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

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.