An NBA memo sent to all 30 teams discussed the “serious risks of gambling,” as well as how the league will reconsider its approach to legal sports betting.
The memo comes after Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups were arrested and charged last week as part of a federal investigation into gambling schemes involving sports betting and poker.
“While the unusual bets on Terry Rozier’s unders in the March 2023 game were detected in real time because the bets were placed legally, we believe more can be done from a legal/regulatory perspective to protect the integrity of the NBA and our member leagues,” the memo said. “In particular, betting on the performance of individual players poses increased integrity issues and requires additional scrutiny.”
The memo also discussed ways the league is improving its monitoring programs to “synthesize all available data from gambling companies, social media and other sources to identify gambling activity of concern.”
The memo then laid out a game plan for the league that will address the future sports betting landscape.
“With sports betting occupying such a significant part of the current sports landscape, every effort must be made to ensure that players, coaches and other NBA personnel are fully aware of the serious risks that gambling can pose to their careers and livelihoods; that our injury reporting rules are appropriate; and that players are protected from harassment by gamblers,” the memo said.
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