From Shock to Showdown: How the World Is Reacting to the NBA Betting Scandal

The post From Shock to Showdown: How the World Is Reacting to the NBA Betting Scandal appeared first on Vegas Slots Online News.

A major news story

The NBA world has been turned upside down since the FBI arrested 30+ people across 11 states, including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers Head Coach Chauncey Billups, on Thursday as part of a wide-ranging illegal gambling investigation.

Rozier helping his friend count $200,000 in betting winnings at his home

The indictments reveal some jaw-dropping allegations against the suspects, such as Rozier helping his friend count $200,000 in bet winnings at his home after he intentionally exited a game early, and details about Trail Blazers coach Billups allegedly telling a gambler he was going to bench his starters and tank a game.

Everyone connected to the NBA world is having their say on the matter, whether it’s Stephen A. Smith blaming Donald Trump or current players defending the league.

Players and coaches defend the NBA

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green is never afraid to express his opinion. After reporters asked him if he thought the NBA’s link to the sports betting industry meant that Thursday’s arrests were inevitable, he defended the league. The 35-year-old was adamant that the official partnerships are simply business and that players benefit from them:

He believes that players and coaches manipulating games would happen regardless, given the easy access to sportsbooks. Despite this, he said he was shocked when he heard the news, adding that he would love to bet on football from his phone and jokingly urged California Governor Gavin Newsom to legalize sports betting in the state.

pointed instead to social media as a bigger issue

Green’s head coach Steve Kerr also said he doesn’t believe partnerships are a factor. He pointed instead to social media as a bigger issue, giving examples of abusive messages his players receive from angry bettors.

Media personalities weighing in

ESPN was one of the first media outlets to report on Thursday’s arrests. Naturally, it was a key topic of discussion across its broadcasts throughout the day.

The company has its own relationship with sports betting, having licensed its name to allow PENN Entertainment to use the ESPN Bet brand in return for $2bn over ten years.

viewers noticed the logo quickly disappeared

During one of Thursday’s discussions, an ESPN Bet logo and welcome bonus were shown prominently at the bottom of the screen under a headline captioned “Terry Rozier & Chauncey Billups arrested as part of gambling investigations.” Eagle-eyed viewers noticed the logo quickly disappeared:

Another TV highlight occurred during TNT’s ‘Inside The NBA’ when Charles Barkley clashed with Kenny Smith.

Smith said that the people involved in the case were clearly gambling addicts who made illogical decisions. Barkley was visibly frustrated, saying the people were simply “stupid, not addicts.” He contended that they make so much money from their NBA involvement that greed, not addiction, was to blame.

The poker connection

One aspect of the wider FBI investigation involves NBA figures luring wealthy gamblers to rigged Mafia-linked poker games, where suspects allegedly used X-ray glasses and hidden cameras to gain an edge over unsuspecting players. Barstool Sports owner Dave Portnoy joked on X that he was lucky not to have been one of their victims:

Some people who played in these types of games are now airing their grievances. One such individual is Philip Wiszowaty, who appeared on a YouTube livestream with poker pro Doug Polk to discuss how he played in illegal high-stakes games in LA in 2021. He claims he never received the $1.2m in winnings he was owed from one of the players and this led to the game’s organizers making threats over the unpaid money.

a cease-and-desist letter sent by the recipient of the threats triggered the FBI’s interest

Wiszowaty later said he believes that a cease-and-desist letter sent by the recipient of the threats triggered the FBI’s interest in illegal poker games and eventually led to the wider investigation that had already caught former NBA star Gilbert Arenas in July.

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