Unless and until Congress regulates the murky intersection between sports and legalized gambling, accountability will come from civil lawsuits and/or criminal prosecution.
According to Pat Forde of SI.com, a federal investigation currently is exploring potential game-fixing in men’s basketball at the pro and college levels. A grand jury has been convened, which means that indictments and trials could follow.
The investigation includes the case of Jontay Porter, who was banned for life by the NBA in 2024 after fixing bets based on his performance in games. It also encompasses Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, based on activities from 2023 when he played for the Charlotte Hornets.
Rozier’s involvement was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
“In March 2023, the NBA was alerted to unusual betting activity related to Terry Rozier’s performance in a game between Charlotte and New Orleans,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement, via Forde. “The league conducted an investigation and did not find a violation of NBA rules. We are now aware of an investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York related to this matter and have been cooperating with that investigation.”
The broader federal investigation is also, per Forde, believed to involve up to seven college programs. The question is whether players were gambling on their own games and/or trying to alter the outcomes of games during the 2023-24 college basketball season. One player being investigated is former Temple guard Hysier “Fabb” Miller, according to Forde.
At the heart of the controversy is the prop bet, which is tied to an individual player’s performance. While it’s difficult to rig the outcome of a game, a player can easily fake an illness or injury early in a contest, thereby ensuring that the “under” hits in one or more categories.
The NFL has avoided a major gambling scandal in the six-plus years since the Supreme Court opened the floodgates for state-by-state legalized sports betting. It seems inevitable. Especially as kids who have come of age in an era of legalized — and normalized — sports betting migrate toward pro football.
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