On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced indictments related to an alleged scheme to “rig” individual player prop bets in NBA games.
Current NBA player Terry Rozier was accused of deliberately underperforming so that so-called “under” bets on his stats would win. The Miami Heat point guard allegedly let others know his intention to go under his prop bet lines.
The sports gambling industry detected what it alleged was suspicious wagering.
Rozier’s case is connected to charges against former Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter, who was banned in 2024 for his role in a prop bet scheme. Porter pleaded guilty to conspiracy and admitted to manipulating his performance in two games.
Porter, who said he has a gambling addiction, will be sentenced in December.
Damon Jones, a former Cleveland Cavaliers player and assistant coach, was also among those arrested Thursday. He allegedly provided inside information about games to codefendants, according to the indictment.
Former NBA player and Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups was also arrested for involvement in an alleged criminal poker ring. He was in the sports betting indictment as an unnamed co-conspirator. It’s unclear if Billups’ involvement is related to the Gilbert Arenas indictment in July.
Sportsbooks Are Victims, Feds Say
In a press conference, the government called the unnamed sportsbooks in the case “victims.” It’s unclear how much they collectively lost from the alleged activity involving Rozier, Jones, and the other defendants. But it might not have been a lot.
The “victim” comments drew scorn from many observers, who pointed out that the U.S. legal betting industry — which took $13.7 billion from Americans in 2024 — causes widespread harm to individuals, families, communities, and even states themselves.
Here were some of the comments:
- “Are we supposed to feel sorry for the sports betting companies? They prey on addiction and teenagers” (link)
- “They got millions addicted to gambling at the press of a button on their phone with all their ‘bet $5 get $200’ nonsense. But the billion-dollar businesses are the victims” (link)
- “Praying for the sportsbooks during this difficult time” (link)
- “Are they gonna refund the money to anyone who bet the over that night? Nope, so they are not the victim” (link)
- “Sportsbooks are never victims. They scam people every single day” (link)
- “The real victims are the people who bet on Rozier’s overs as his production mysteriously dropped off in 2024.” (link)
Worsening Public Opinion
The NBA gambling scandal, and the government’s framing of sportsbooks as victims, won’t help the industry’s image. It’s just the tip of the iceberg as addiction rates soar.
In September, a Pew gambling survey found that a growing number of Americans think legal sports betting is “bad for society,” with 47% of men under 30 (the most frequent users of the products) saying it is.
About 50% of online sports bettors experience some form of harm, according to the statistics. Studies on the impact of gambling harm find that 8 to 10 people around a problem gambler experience harm.
Unsurprisingly, the gambling industry took Thursday’s indictments as a victory. The industry has long argued that regulated sports gambling is working to catch criminal activity.
Banning Prop Bets?
For years, there have been calls to ban prop bets at state-sanctioned sportsbooks. However, offshore, sweepstakes and prediction sports gambling websites offer props. Those platforms are virtually unregulated.
Banning props at traditional betting apps such as DraftKings and FanDuel would not eliminate the corruption risk for sports teams and leagues. That said, it could meaningfully reduce addiction risks for some people. The state-sanctioned sport betting industry is permitted to advertise its product relentlessly.
In July 2025, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine said he wanted to see his state eliminate player props across all professional sports.
There has been more traction and support behind banning collegiate player props, but no sports betting state has banned prop bets on professional sports like the NBA, MLB, or NFL. The most recent NBA-related indictments are unlikely to change that.
Image by Sergei Tokmakov, Esq. from Pixabay
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