Lead Defendant in NBA Betting and Poker Scandal to Plead Guilty

The integrity of the National Basketball Association (NBA) has been called into question following a major betting scandal, which impacts punters in the UK and overseas.

In October 2025, 34 people – including former players and the then Portland Trail Blazers head coach – were arrested for offences that arranged from alleged ‘tanking’, in which players deliberately underperform, to providing inside information to a coordinated gambling syndicate.

And it has been confirmed this week that Eric Earnest, who has been described by prosecutors as one of the ringleaders of the scheme, will plead guilty when he stands trial later this month.

Illicit NBA Gambling Plot

It was a scandal that rocked the NBA, the most popular basketball league on the planet, to its core.

A Joint Organised Crime Task Force, launched by the FBI and New York City Police’s Department of Organised Crime Control, uncovered evidence of alleged betting irregularities in NBA games dating back to 2023.

Their investigations led them to the arrest of Terry Rozier, the former Miami Heat star, and the ex-Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups.

Both denied the charges against them, although Rozier was later subject to a new indictment - as reported by ESPN - that accused him of accepting a $100,000 (£75,000) bribe, as well as other offences that included wire fraud conspiracy.

Inside Information Writ

According to prosecution documents, Rozier stands accused of informing associates that he would be substituted from an NBA game early – meaning that he would go ‘under’ his prop lines. More than £250,000 was wagered on those outcomes.

In said game in February 2023, Rozier was replaced after just minutes, citing a ‘foot injury’ as the cause. He is accused of manipulating two other NBA games in a similar fashion, although as many as seven have been investigated by the Task Force.

In a separate set of allegations, the former Boston Celtics and Charlotte Hornets man – nicknamed ‘Scary Terry’ – is accused of sharing inside information to associates with regards to the injury status of two Los Angeles Lakers players ahead of games in 2023 and 2024.

Mafia Poker Probe

Billups’ involvement is a little more complex.

An individual matching his description was initially charged with providing inside information to a gambling syndicate involving his team, Portland. However, it’s not known if he will face this charge in court.

He will, however, stand accused of participating in a bizarre fake poker game plot, which saw individuals associated with the Mafia rake in millions of illegitimate dollars.

Billups and another famous face from the NBA, former Cleveland Cavaliers star Damon Jones, are accused of acting as frontmen for the scheme, which reportedly saw poker players invited to take part in an exclusive game.

Little did they know that the odds were stacked against them, with organised crime insiders using manipulated shuffling machines – as well technology that included special contact lenses and even an X-ray poker table – to cheat the attendees out of a reported $7 million (£5.3 million).

Jones has since pleaded guilty to the charges against him.

Pleading Guilty

Earnest, who is alleged to have been a key figure in the sports betting plot, stands accused of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.

It has been alleged that he paid for inside information to then feed to his gambling syndicate, while acting as a go-between in the team tanking scheme. According to investigators, information was fed to Earnest that the Portland Trail Blazers would rest several key players in a game against the Chicago Bulls in March 2023.

Bets of more than £75,000 were placed by the group on the Bulls, who romped to a 124-96 victory. Four of Portland’s main players, including Jerami Grant and Damian Lillard, sat out the game despite not being injured.

The 54-year-old’s legal team has indicated that he will plead guilty later this month when he faces his day in court.