In brief
In a shocking turn of events, multiple NBA figures, including player Terry Rozier and coach Chauncey Billups, have been indicted in a sprawling illegal poker cheating operation allegedly backed by the mafia. The indictment highlights the use of advanced technology in cheating tactics, like shuffling machines and hidden cameras, targeting wealthy unsuspecting gamblers. Authorities reveal that victims lost millions, with threats and violence used to enforce payments. The scandal raises questions about the integrity of professional sports and the influence of organized crime in the game.
The indictments announced Thursday of a poker cheating ring involving NBA figures and backed by the mafia emphasized their alleged high-tech cheating methods. But the con tactics they described are as old as poker itself, familiar from heist movies and James Bond films.
Shady shuffles came not from quick-handed card sharks, but tricked-out machines. Instead of mirrors or guys in the corner peeking over shoulders, there were X-ray tables and high-tech contact lenses.
Rich targets known as “fish” were lured in by high-stakes games in posh secret spots with names like “The Lexington Avenue Game.” Authorities allege that these illegal games involved collusion among players, including NBA Hall-of-Famer Chauncey Billups.
The alleged cheating involved advanced shuffling machines that determined card orders and transmitted winning hands to an accomplice at the table, referred to as “the quarterback.”
With reports of hidden cameras, customized glasses, and even violence for enforcing debts, this scandal unveils a broader issue of corruption mixing sports and crime.
