The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has announced charges against dozens of individuals accused of participating in two large-scale illegal sports betting and gambling operations. Those charged reportedly include current and former NBA players and coaches as well as members of the Bonanno, Gambino, Genovese, and Lucchese mafia families. The large-scale takedown—which the FBI dubbed “Operation Royal Flush”—follows similar gambling-related charges against former Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter, who pleaded guilty to wire fraud last year.
As a result, while the FBI’s NBA gambling takedown is significant, it may also be just the tip of the iceberg. With online sports betting becoming wildly popular—and with more states continuing to legalize the use of betting apps—regulators and advocates have been calling for greater scrutiny of the sports betting industry for a while now. While we will have to wait and see, it certainly appears that there could be more investigations to come.
“The FBI’s announcement of dozens of indictments resulting from a months-long investigation into NBA bet fixing is notable in numerous respects. Not only does it involve charges against multiple high-profile individuals—including NBA players accused of facilitating fraudulent bets—but it also signals that additional investigations could be forthcoming.” – Dr. Nick Oberheiden, Founding Attorney of Oberheiden P.C.
Here is a look at what we know so far about Operation Royal Flush and the charges that NBA players, NBA coaches, and others are facing as a result of the NBA gambling takedown:
FBI Announces Charges Against Players and Others Accused of Executing Fraudulent Betting Scheme Involving NBA Games
On October 23, 2025, FBI Director Kash Patel announced charges against more than 30 individuals who have reportedly been arrested in approximately a dozen states across the country—from Florida to Oregon. The charges were filed in Brooklyn and are being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York. This is the same U.S. Attorney’s Office that pursued charges against Jontay Porter last year.
The charges reportedly involve two separate alleged illegal gambling operations. The first involves NBA players allegedly sharing inside information about when they would be sitting out games or leaving games early—and allegedly leaving games early in order to facilitate betting fraud in some cases.
One current NBA player charged as a result of the investigation is Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier (though reports indicate that Rozier has now been suspended). According to reports, Rozier is charged with allegedly leaving a game early in March 2023, when he played for the Charlotte Hornets, and “let[ting] other gamblers know that he would leave a game early so that they could bet on the game and make hundreds of thousands of dollars that they later split with him.”
Former NBA player and coach Damon Jones is reportedly among the individuals who are facing charges as well. Jones is also accused of playing an integral role in alleged “rigged illegal poker games,” using his fame to lure victims into high-stakes poker games that were rigged by other individuals charged as a result of the investigation.
FBI Also Announces Charges Against NBA Coaches, Former Players, and Others Accused of Running “Rigged Illegal Poker Games”
The second set of charges stemming from the FBI’s Operation Royal Flush relates to the alleged “rigged illegal poker games” involving Jones and others. Former Detroit Pistons star and current Portland Trail Blazers coach (although he has also reportedly been placed on leave) Chauncey Billups is among those who are facing charges as well.
According to reports, the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York are accusing the defendants in this case of using current and former NBA players’ high profiles to lure victims into high-stakes poker games. Then, reports allege, the defendants would fix the games using, “sophisticated cheating technology, such as altered card shuffling machines, hidden cameras in poker chip trays, special sunglasses and even X-ray equipment built into the table to read the cards of unsuspecting players.” In at least some instances, current and former NBA players, including Jones and Billups, would allegedly play in the games and be in on the fraud. For example, the Associated Press (AP) reports that:
“Text messages between the defendants as they carried out their [alleged] scheme show that in one such game in Las Vegas on April 2019, Billups was winning so many improbable hands with the help of a rigged shuffling machine that his overseers said he needed to lose on purpose, to avoid being suspected of cheating.”
Along with current and former NBA players, the investigation has also reportedly resulted in charges against members of the Bonanno, Gambino, Genovese, and Lucchese mafia families. Newsweek quotes New York City Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch as stating that, “[i]nvestigators uncovered a long-running scheme in which members and associates of several well-known organized crime families rigged high-stakes poker games across the country,” and it notes that members and associates of these four specific families have been named in the indictments filed in the Eastern District of New York.
This Isn’t the First Time the FBI Has Targeted Sports Betting Fraud Involving NBA Players (and Likely Won’t Be the Last)
As noted above, this is not the first time that the FBI and other federal authorities have targeted sports betting fraud involving NBA players. Along with the case against Jontay Porter last year, there have been other previous cases as well. We have also recently seen federal cases involving players in other professional sports leagues—as well as the highly publicized case involving Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter, who is currently serving time in federal prison.
With the significant amount of publicity that Operation Royal Flush has attracted, and with concerns about fraud in the sports betting industry continuing to grow, it is likely that this will not be the last time the FBI and other federal authorities target professional players, coaches, and their associates, either. While sportsbooks and betting apps have not been implicated in the NBA gambling takedown, they are now on notice that this is a priority enforcement area for federal law enforcement authorities (if they weren’t already), and some have already come forward to pledge support for federal authorities’ efforts to uncover fraudulent sports betting schemes going forward.
Accusations of Sports Betting and Gambling Fraud Can Lead to Multiple Federal Charges Carrying Substantial Penalties
As the indictments filed to date in the NBA gambling takedown show, accusations of sports betting and gambling fraud can lead to multiple federal charges. All of these charges carry steep penalties. Some examples of pending and potential charges (and the associated penalties) include:
- Extortion and Related Offenses – Extortion carries statutory fines and up to a year of federal prison time. In cases involving threats of kidnapping or bodily harm, it carries statutory fines up to 20 years of federal prison time. Federal law also makes it a criminal offense to receive the proceeds of extortion, with convictions carrying statutory fines and one to three years of federal prison time depending on the circumstances involved.
- Illegal Gambling Business – Anyone who, “conducts, finances, manages, supervises, directs, or owns all or part of an illegal gambling business,” can face statutory fines and up to five years of federal prison time. This includes sports betting, and having almost any level of involvement in an illegal sports betting operation can lead to allegations of “conduct[ing]” the business under federal law.
- Theft and Robbery – The FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York are pursuing theft and robbery charges in some instances. These charges stem from allegations of defrauding sports bettors and poker players, with robbery charges generally involving allegations of threats or intimidation. Convictions for federal theft and robbery charges can also lead to statutory fines and years or decades of federal imprisonment.
- Money Laundering and Wire Fraud – The federal money laundering and wire fraud statutes are extremely broad, and their breadth allows prosecutors to pursue charges against a wide range of individuals in a wide range of circumstances in cases involving alleged illegal sports betting and gambling operations. Convictions can carry up to a 20-year federal prison sentence and hundreds or millions of dollars in financial penalties.
- Conspiracy to Commit Any of the Above – The federal conspiracy statute is also extremely broad, and it allows prosecutors to pursue charges against individuals who are only tangentially involved in alleged illegal sports betting and gambling operations in many cases. Conspiracy convictions can carry the same penalties as those for the underlying crimes involved.
Again, these are just examples. As the fallout from the FBI’s Operation Royal Flush continues, we will learn more about the specific allegations and charges involved. For now, those who are facing charges will need to work with experienced federal defense counsel to protect themselves, and those who have concerns about facing charges should consult with experienced counsel to determine what options they have available.
