NBA Scandal: Suspicious Bets on Terry Rozier Game, Documents Reveal

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Suspicious Bets on Terry Rozier Game Spark Federal Investigation

A professional gambler placed 30 bets in a span of 46 minutes, all related to NBA player Terry Rozier, during a game in 2023. Documents revealed shed new light on the suspicious bets that are being investigated by federal authorities. On the morning of March 23, 2023, the bettor placed bets totaling $13,759 at a betting establishment in Biloxi, Mississippi. The bets were placed on the “under” in Rozier’s statistics in the game between the Charlotte Hornets and the New Orleans Pelicans. According to the documents, all 30 bets were winning. Rozier, an eight-year veteran at the time with the Hornets, left the game at 10 minutes due to a foot injury. At least six sportsbooks in several states detected suspicious activity in bets related to Rozier that day, mainly in Louisiana and Mississippi, according to sources close to a report issued by U.S. Integrity, a firm that monitors the betting market. The NBA investigated unusual activity in 2023 and concluded that league rules were not violated. Two years later, Rozier is one of three NBA players who have been under investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. The bettor in Biloxi placed their bets at Harrah’s Gulf Coast on the “under” for Rozier’s points, rebounds, and assists, according to a list of bets included in the documents. The largest bet, for $2,700, was placed on the “under” for Rozier’s 5.5 rebounds, using a casino player card. The other 29 bets were placed at a self-service betting kiosk, starting at 9:37 a.m. Attempts to contact the bettor were unsuccessful. Harrah’s Gulf Coast (Caesars) initially refused to pay the winning tickets, citing a house rule about “rigging” and suspicion of “insider information.” The casino requested permission from the Mississippi Gaming Commission to void the bets entirely.

“Has Caesars been able to present any evidence to support that this is insider information?” asked a compliance team leader from the Mississippi Gaming Commission to the betting establishment in an email on April 5. “If not, the property, which I believe is Harrah’s Gulf Coast/Caesars, will have to pay the bets.”

Mississippi Gaming Commission
A week later, on April 12, a Caesars representative informed the commission that bets on Rozier were being settled. The bettor won a net total of $13,017.70. Rozier, who was not listed on the Hornets’ pre-game injury report, finished the game with 5 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists, all below the betting lines on his stats. He did not play the rest of the season and was traded to the Miami Heat in January 2024. Sources indicated that several New Orleans sportsbooks also received higher-than-expected activity on Rozier’s “under” bets, from morning to afternoon. At 2:24 p.m. on the day of the game, U.S. Integrity sent a nationwide alert about “Suspicious betting on NBA player props for Terry Rozier”. Most major sportsbooks stopped taking bets on Rozier props within an hour of the U.S. Integrity alert. The league’s rules prohibit players from betting on the NBA or sharing non-public information with anyone “associated with gambling.” The NBA declined to comment. Rozier’s lawyer, Jim Trusty, stated that his client is not the target of the federal investigation. A spokesperson for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York said they could neither confirm nor deny Rozier’s status in the investigation and declined to comment further. Trusty said Rozier met with NBA and FBI officials several times in 2023 and that the initial investigation determined that Rozier had done nothing wrong. Rozier is included in the same federal investigation into gambling that led to the NBA’s ban of Jontay Porter, former Toronto Raptors player. In July 2024, Porter pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges and admitted to withdrawing from two games during the 2024 NBA season to help bettors win bets on the “under” of his props. Four men, including Porter, have pleaded guilty to charges stemming from the scheme, and two others are in plea negotiations with federal authorities, according to court documents. Some of the same betting accounts that bet on Porter also bet on Rozier’s props in the Hornets-Pelicans game, in addition to several college basketball games that were marked by suspicious betting activity in the last two seasons, according to multiple gaming industry sources. Trusty said Rozier has no connection to any of the people involved in the Porter case. This June, it was reported that NBA veteran Malik Beasley is also under investigation in a federal gambling investigation by the Eastern District of New York. Beasley has not been charged with any crime or accused of any wrongdoing. A Caesars spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. The Mississippi Gaming Commission declined to comment.
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