Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups was arrested Thursday in Oregon in connection with a federal investigation alleging a Mafia-backed scheme to rig underground poker games, according to federal authorities who unveiled charges at a Brooklyn news conference. Prosecutors said the poker case is one of two parallel indictments announced Thursday; the other involves an insider sports-betting conspiracy that does not include Billups, but includes former NBA player Damon Jones and current player Terry Rozier.
In total, more than 30 defendants were taken into custody as part of a coordinated operation spanning multiple states, with additional self-surrenders expected, officials said.
How The Alleged Poker Scheme Worked
In outlining the poker allegations, officials described a high-tech cheating apparatus designed to predetermine winners at private, high-stakes games from New York to the Hamptons, Las Vegas and Miami. According to the briefing, crews allegedly tampered with self-shuffling machines so they could âreadâ the deck, relayed that information to an off-site operator, then used a table âquarterbackâ to covertly signal co-conspirators where the winning hand sat. Investigators also referenced additional tools â such as chip-tray analyzers, eyeglasses and contact lenses designed to read cards, and even a x-ray poker table that allowed cards to be read while face down â used to âfleeceâ targeted whales, with New York organized-crime families providing backing and enforcement when debts came due.Â
Chauncey Billups Arrested In Connection To Poker Games
Billupsâ arrest is tied to the poker matter, not the separate sports-betting indictment. He is expected to appear at an initial court appearance in Oregon on October 23 and at a later date in federal court in Brooklyn, authorities said. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty, and prosecutors emphasized the investigation remains active.
The breadth of Thursdayâs takedown underscores the governmentâs growing focus on gambling-related corruption touching professional sports and adjacent underground economies. Federal officials said the two indictments were related in scope and timing but distinct in the alleged conduct: the poker ring used rigged technology and sports celebrity to entice unwitting players into unwinnable games, and then intimidation to siphon cash from private games, while the sports-betting case allegedly exploited confidential information about NBA games to place wagers. Authorities said the effort involved a yearslong probe, with charges including conspiracy to commit wire fraud, illegal gambling and money-laundering offenses among those referenced at the podium.Â
Whatâs Next For Billups, Portland Trail Blazers
Billups, 49, is one of the leagueâs most recognizable figures to be implicated in the poker case. A five-time All-Star and the 2004 NBA Finals MVP, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2024 and is in his fifth season coaching the Trail Blazers. Portland announced a multi-year extension for Billups earlier this year. Team representatives had not issued a public statement at the time of publication.
What comes next for Billups will move through court calendars on both coasts. Look for the Eastern District of New York to post the unsealed indictment and any detention-letter filings, which will provide the exact statutory counts, alleged loss figures and detailed investigative narrative beyond what officials summarized at the lectern. From there, Billups is expected to be transferred for arraignment in Brooklyn, where the court will handle initial pretrial scheduling. Given the size of the alleged ring and the involvement of organized-crime groups cited by investigators, additional motions over discovery, electronic evidence and any seized devices are likely to follow.Â
This is a developing story. Weâll update with precise charge language, docket numbers, and any statements from the Trail Blazers or the NBA as those materials become available from EDNY.Â
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