Blazers coach Chauncey Billups arrested by FBI for illegal gambling

[Mavrelous]

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[infinite11285]

Why does it seem like Gilbert Arenas named some dudes to get himself out of his recent situation

You might be on to something.

[Hornet Mania]

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Can one of the senators also ask him why his All Star Game formats are so ****?

Any extra question time will be spent figuring out Silver's secret to vampiric eternal life, a matter of pressing concern to most of the Senate.

[WarriorGM]

How is it fraud for a more knowledgeable person to take advantage of that knowledge?

You can't be serious.

An individual is using confidential, highly specific information that is not readily available to the general public to their advantage. That is identical to insider trading. It undermines the integrity and fairness of both industries.

Legal sportsbooks brought in something like $150 billion last year -- three times more than the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL combined -- so it is an absolutely massive business, with some estimates that anywhere from 20-30% of American adults participated in. Allowing a privileged few to exploit their positions effectively games the system in both cases at the expense of the overwhelming majority.

"Hey, that merger isn't going to be approved so sell your shares."

"Hey, LeBron isn't playing tonight so bet huge, and cut me in too."

And the government, such as it is, tends to take things like that seriously. While there was certainly some gamesmanship involved -- I think the lead supervisor was gunning for higher office -- they sent Martha Stewart to federal prison for less than $50K in stock trades.

Perhaps more importantly, letting that slide opens the door to further manipulation.

Like imagine if Billups, or Damon Jones, or the video intern, or whoever, passes that information on and gets a cut. Easiest money they've ever made. Then they go to one of the players they're tight with and lay that out, upon which they scheme to do it again, similar to how Rozier did by faking an injury. Now you're in the realm of outright match fixing, which (again) it shouldn't take a genius to figure out why that's bad.

(I've seen people blow that off because, lol, it's Terry Rozier; he was Charlotte's second-leading scorer that season and 30th in the NBA overall. That was a huge, huge deal. He essentially shaved points, which has and always will be illegal for very obvious reasons.)

It doesn't seem likely given the money some of these guys make. But I never would have imagined two people with $100 million in career earnings would have done what Billups and Rozier did, and here we are.

The easiest route is to just take that all off the table and avoid any impropriety at all.

There is a reason you went with "fraud" first before going to "insider trading" because insider trading is pretty specific to trading public companies and company officials who have a fiduciary responsibility misleading investors. In the gambling example though I question where the fiduciary duty to gamblers arises or society's interest in supporting the entire gambling structure.

What I'm point out is that the gambling industry has just basically co-opted the resources of the state at the expense of personal liberties and I wonder if people are even critically thinking about it. It is showing how even those who may oppose gambling may be compelled to play by gambling's rules. Is this something people want for the NBA? I don't think it is an overwhelming majority.

We’ve officially reached the RealDA phase of this thread. Armchair attorneys debating the definition of fraud.

Never change RealGM. Never change.

I'm not claiming to be a lawyer or even if the law is being applied inaccurately to general practice in the country. I'm just asking how any of this makes any sense. You know like how carrying around more than $10000 of your money can lead it to be confiscated by the government through civil asset forfeiture.

[DusterBuster]

We’ve officially reached the RealDA phase of this thread. Armchair attorneys debating the definition of fraud.

Never change RealGM. Never change.

I'm not claiming to be a lawyer or even if the law is being applied inaccurately to general practice in the country. I'm just asking how any of this makes any sense. You know like how carrying around more than $10000 of your money can lead it to be confiscated by the government through civil asset forfeiture.

It was a joke, and not even specifically directed at you, just the overall tone of where the conversation was at.

Deep breaths dude, it'll be ok.

[Ballings7]

Gilbert Arenas’ SAVAGE Reaction To Chauncey In Trouble - YouTube

((just posting the title of show excerpt, incase its nsfw/violating))


"informant lunch"

"I'm the 6th man"

"hidin' in the shadows"

"she foul" (Nichols)

so many treats here.

Gil's Arena just goes hard in the paint. : )

Why does it seem like Gilbert Arenas named some dudes to get himself out of his recent situation

You might be on to something.

lol yep, gotta love Gilbert and his crew there.

[Sedale Threatt]

There is a reason you went with "fraud" first before going to "insider trading" because insider trading is pretty specific to trading public companies and company officials who have a fiduciary responsibility misleading investors. In the gambling example though I question where the fiduciary duty to gamblers arises or society's interest in supporting the entire gambling structure.

What I'm point out is that the gambling industry has just basically co-opted the resources of the state at the expense of personal liberties and I wonder if people are even critically thinking about it. It is showing how even those who may oppose gambling may be compelled to play by gambling's rules. Is this something people want for the NBA? I don't think it is an overwhelming majority.

Yeah, I'm not getting into some jerkoff semantic game. It's a distinction without a difference. Insider trading, whatever specific term you want to call passing on privileged injury information for personal financial gain via betting ... it's all fraud. You gain an unfair advantage over your fellow bettors -- of which there are millions across the country, spending tens of billions of dollars per year -- who have a highly vested interest in the maintenance of a level playing field, particularly involving the players and coaches who facilitate the games they are betting on.

Like I get that people might not give a sht about this. I'm not a gambler either and I have no real interest in the industry. But given its growth and almost total integration into the professional sports landscape, it is now impossible to ignore. It is here to stay. So yeah, I'd very much like this to be heavily regulated and strongly monitored and enforced to avoid any further scandals. Because this was extremely minor compared to what could potentially happen. And if that means some coach can't share or make bets based on inside information, oh well.

(Which I'm sure their bosses would be all for regardless of the gambling aspect. Do you think somebody like, say, Gregg Popovich would be happy with a member of his staff leaking information about a player being out hours before tipoff to anybody, which could then leak even further? lol, right.)

Because if we're gonna question critical thinking, I'd point out that you very conveniently ignored the even bigger problems that could arise, i.e. match fixing. One player faking an injury in one game is already bad enough. As Silver himself said, the integrity of the game is paramount. Anything threatening that, threatens its very viability. And there aren't many bigger dangers than that. That's not "playing by gambling's rules," that's basic common sense that pro leagues have been trying to adhere to pretty much since their inception.

[WarriorGM]

There is a reason you went with "fraud" first before going to "insider trading" because insider trading is pretty specific to trading public companies and company officials who have a fiduciary responsibility misleading investors. In the gambling example though I question where the fiduciary duty to gamblers arises or society's interest in supporting the entire gambling structure.

What I'm point out is that the gambling industry has just basically co-opted the resources of the state at the expense of personal liberties and I wonder if people are even critically thinking about it. It is showing how even those who may oppose gambling may be compelled to play by gambling's rules. Is this something people want for the NBA? I don't think it is an overwhelming majority.

Yeah, I'm not getting into some jerkoff semantic game. It's a distinction without a difference. Insider trading, whatever specific term you want to call passing on privileged injury information for personal financial gain via betting ... it's all fraud. You gain an unfair advantage over your fellow bettors -- of which there are millions across the country, spending tens of billions of dollars per year -- who have a highly vested interest in the maintenance of a level playing field, particularly involving the players and coaches who facilitate the games they are betting on.

Like I get that people might not give a sht about this. I'm not a gambler either and I have no real interest in the industry. But given its growth and almost total integration into the professional sports landscape, it is now impossible to ignore. It is here to stay. So yeah, I'd very much like this to be heavily regulated and strongly monitored and enforced to avoid any further scandals. Because this was extremely minor compared to what could potentially happen. And if that means some coach can't share or make bets based on inside information, oh well.

(Which I'm sure their bosses would be all for regardless of the gambling aspect. Do you think somebody like, say, Gregg Popovich would be happy with a member of his staff leaking information about a player being out hours before tipoff to anybody, which could then leak even further? lol, right.)

Because if we're gonna question critical thinking, I'd point out that you very conveniently ignored the even bigger problems that could arise, i.e. match fixing. One player faking an injury in one game is already bad enough. As Silver himself said, the integrity of the game is paramount. Anything threatening that, threatens its very viability. And there aren't many bigger dangers than that. That's not "playing by gambling's rules," that's basic common sense that pro leagues have been trying to adhere to pretty much since their inception.

Match fixing? Then the league should get on it and file a complaint. Players faking an injury? We've seen players like Davis, Harden, and Simmons sitting out due to injury related concerns people don't buy. But then I leave it to the league to determine what legal action they want to pursue with their employees. If the league wants to turn into an entire shambolic enterprise like WWE wrestling it's the league's choice.

Heavy regulation of gambling of the sort you speak of isn't going to be as effective as the betting companies getting fleeced for offering silly things to bet on. Once they start losing money the betting companies will self-regulate pronto.

[Old_Blue]

Heavy regulation of gambling of the sort you speak of isn't going to be a effective as the betting companies getting fleeced for offering silly things to bet on. Once they start losing money the betting companies will self-regulate pronto.

If ever there was an industry that deserved to get the $hit hacked out of it by Kim Jong Un, it's the online gaming industry. Bunch of useless ba$tards who create nothing other than frustration and misery.

Watch on YouTube

[gusman]

If you can bet on it, it is being manipulated. You don’t think this kind of stuff is happening in college? Ignorance is bliss.

[SHAQ32]

Gilbert Arenas’ SAVAGE Reaction To Chauncey In Trouble - YouTube

((just posting the title of show excerpt, incase its nsfw/violating))


"informant lunch"

"I'm the 6th man"

"hidin' in the shadows"

"she foul" (Nichols)

so many treats here.

Gil's Arena just goes hard in the paint. : )

Why does it seem like Gilbert Arenas named some dudes to get himself out of his recent situation

You might be on to something.

lol yep, gotta love Gilbert and his crew there.

Meh. Gilbert Arenas is a scumbag.

[DusterBuster]

Gilbert Arenas’ SAVAGE Reaction To Chauncey In Trouble - YouTube

((just posting the title of show excerpt, incase its nsfw/violating))


"informant lunch"

"I'm the 6th man"

"hidin' in the shadows"

"she foul" (Nichols)

so many treats here.

Gil's Arena just goes hard in the paint. : )

You might be on to something.

lol yep, gotta love Gilbert and his crew there.

Meh. Gilbert Arenas is a scumbag.

We've heard the same from those who cover the league here in Portland and have no real bias about him one way or another. He never had any connections to the Blazers or the city in any way, but guys who've covered the league for the last 15-20yrs have said Gilbert tops the list in one of the worst human beings out there. He's a genuinely bad human being, like worse than even most of us know with the stuff thats public.

[JRoy]

If this is true, I hope Arenas understands the dangers.

[Sedale Threatt]

Match fixing? Then the league should get on it and file a complaint. Players faking an injury? We've seen players like Davis, Harden, and Simmons sitting out due to injury related concerns people don't buy. But then I leave it to the league to determine what legal action they want to pursue with their employees. If the league wants to turn into an entire shambolic enterprise like WWE wrestling it's the league's choice.

Heavy regulation of gambling of the sort you speak of isn't going to be as effective as the betting companies getting fleeced for offering silly things to bet on. Once they start losing money the betting companies will self-regulate pronto.

lol, file a complaint? It's not a neighborhood noise violation or a faulty product they bought at Lowe's. It's a federal crime to influence the outcome of a sporting event, particularly when financial reward is involved.

As stated in the government's press release:

Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, an indictment was unsealed charging six defendants — Eric Earnest, also known as “Spook,” Marves Fairley, also known as “Vez,” “Vezino,” and “Vezino Locks”, Shane Hennen, also known as “Sugar,” Damon Jones, also known as “D Jones,” and “Dee Jones,” Deniro Laster, also known as “Niro,” “Payso,” and “Peso,” and Terry Rozier, also known as “Scary Terry” and “Chum” — with wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy for their alleged roles in a scheme to use inside information from National Basketball Association (NBA) players and coaches to profit from illegal betting activity.

If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment on the wire fraud conspiracy count and 20 years’ imprisonment on the money laundering conspiracy count.

“Rigging a professional basketball game for personal profit is as immoral as it is illegal,” stated NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. “This investigation exposed a gambling ring built around the NBA, where players and associates allegedly used inside information and even faked injuries to fraudulently manipulate bets on games. The fact that some players altered their performance or took themselves out of games to ensure these bets paid out is an offense to every player and fan.”

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/current-and-former-national-basketball-association-players-and-four-other-individuals

This isn't a matter of, let's protect Draft Kings. It's a law enforcement matter totally beyond theirs and the NBA's hands.

(Also, did you note the term they used there? Inside information? Hmmm...)

And, as I would expect, those are terrible examples.

In Rozier's case, they allegedly have evidence of him telling his friend that he was going to intentionally leave a game that was already underway and bets were placed, depriving his team of their leading scorer at the time -- Ball was injured -- as they ended up getting waxed.

In the majority of other cases, absences are announced beforehand, sometimes days in advance, and betting lines will adjust accordingly. If the others you mentioned, or any of the hundreds of other NBA players who routinely miss games throughout the season, did so for nefarious purposes, apparently nothing tripped up the algorithms these sites use to monitor unusual betting patterns.

That's how they got Porter, Rozier and a handful of others who have been caught up in these instances since sports gambling became legal. You need proof. Otherwise, they would have apparently gotten 2-3 college basketball players who were doing the same thing but they couldn't pin that down.

But at this point I think I get where you're coming from. You don't understand why this was pursued, and you don't understand the full ramifications as to why it should be.

[WarriorGM]

Match fixing? Then the league should get on it and file a complaint. Players faking an injury? We've seen players like Davis, Harden, and Simmons sitting out due to injury related concerns people don't buy. But then I leave it to the league to determine what legal action they want to pursue with their employees. If the league wants to turn into an entire shambolic enterprise like WWE wrestling it's the league's choice.

Heavy regulation of gambling of the sort you speak of isn't going to be as effective as the betting companies getting fleeced for offering silly things to bet on. Once they start losing money the betting companies will self-regulate pronto.

lol, file a complaint? It's not a neighborhood noise violation or a faulty product they bought at Lowe's. It's a federal crime to influence the outcome of a sporting event, particularly when financial reward is involved.

As stated in the government's press release:

Earlier today, at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn, an indictment was unsealed charging six defendants — Eric Earnest, also known as “Spook,” Marves Fairley, also known as “Vez,” “Vezino,” and “Vezino Locks”, Shane Hennen, also known as “Sugar,” Damon Jones, also known as “D Jones,” and “Dee Jones,” Deniro Laster, also known as “Niro,” “Payso,” and “Peso,” and Terry Rozier, also known as “Scary Terry” and “Chum” — with wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy for their alleged roles in a scheme to use inside information from National Basketball Association (NBA) players and coaches to profit from illegal betting activity.

The charges in the indictment are allegations and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. If convicted, each defendant faces a maximum sentence of 20 years’ imprisonment on the wire fraud conspiracy count and 20 years’ imprisonment on the money laundering conspiracy count.

“Rigging a professional basketball game for personal profit is as immoral as it is illegal,” stated NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch. “This investigation exposed a gambling ring built around the NBA, where players and associates allegedly used inside information and even faked injuries to fraudulently manipulate bets on games. The fact that some players altered their performance or took themselves out of games to ensure these bets paid out is an offense to every player and fan.”

https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/current-and-former-national-basketball-association-players-and-four-other-individuals

This isn't a matter of, let's protect Draft Kings. It's a law enforcement matter totally beyond theirs and the NBA's hands.

(Also, did you note the term they used there? Inside information? Hmmm...)

And, as I would expect, those are terrible examples.

In Rozier's case, they allegedly have evidence of him telling his friend that he's going to intentionally leave a game that was already underway and bets were placed, depriving his team of their leading scorer at the time -- Ball was injured -- as they ended up getting waxed.

In the majority of other cases, absences are announced beforehand, sometimes days in advance, and betting lines will adjust accordingly. If the others you mentioned, or any of the hundreds of other NBA players who routinely miss games throughout the season, did so for nefarious purposes, apparently nothing tripped up the algorithms these sites use to monitor unusual betting patterns.

That's how they got Porter, Rozier and a handful of others who have been caught up in these instances since sports gambling became legal. You need proof. Otherwise, they would have apparently gotten 2-3 college basketball players who were doing the same thing but they couldn't pin that down.

But at this point I think I get where you're coming from. You don't understand why this was pursued, and you don't understand the full ramifications as to why it should be.

You're right I don't understand. You can explain why the government needs to get involved in the Rozier case and not in the Simmons case (or Vince Carter back in the day when he was on the outs with Toronto and supposedly telling the opponents how to win) and the difference would basically come down to one affected gambling interests while the other didn't. Again why should I care if I'm not a gambler? Indeed why shouldn't I cheer if I think gambling is a pox on society?

[Sedale Threatt]

You're right I don't understand. You can explain why the government needs to get involved in the Rozier case and not in the Simmons case and the difference would basically come down to one affected gambling interests while the other didn't. Again why should I care? Indeed why shouldn't I cheer?

In true form, now you're just being willfully ignorant. CHEER a player who purposely conspired to throw a game? Or the circumstances that could lead to an even bigger instance? Use your head.

“Rigging a professional basketball game for personal profit ... is illegal,” stated NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.

EDIT: personal insult

[WarriorGM]

You're right I don't understand. You can explain why the government needs to get involved in the Rozier case and not in the Simmons case and the difference would basically come down to one affected gambling interests while the other didn't. Again why should I care? Indeed why shouldn't I cheer?

In true form, now you're just being a belligerent *******. CHEER a player who purposely conspired to throw a game? Or the circumstances that could lead to an even bigger instance? Use your head.

“Rigging a professional basketball game for personal profit ... is illegal,” stated NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.

I was late in adding it to the previous post but I'll also refer to the case of Vince Carter supposedly telling his opponents when he was trying to get traded from the Raptors what his coach's plan was.

I think being fired is usually sufficient. The creeping criminalization of everything—especially if just to protect gambling interests—is a larger worry.

[Sedale Threatt]

You're right I don't understand. You can explain why the government needs to get involved in the Rozier case and not in the Simmons case and the difference would basically come down to one affected gambling interests while the other didn't. Again why should I care? Indeed why shouldn't I cheer?

In true form, now you're just being a belligerent dumbass. CHEER a player who purposely conspired to throw a game? Or the circumstances that could lead to an even bigger instance? Use your head.

“Rigging a professional basketball game for personal profit ... is illegal,” stated NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.

I was late in adding it to the previous post but I'll also refer to the case of Vince Carter supposedly telling his opponents when he was trying to get traded from the Raptors what his coach's plan was.

I think being fired is usually sufficient. The creeping criminalization of everything is a larger worry.

Match fixing has always been illegal. It's not a new thing.

[LakersLegacy]

Location
147 Lexington Ave. New YORK
80 Washington Place New YORK

Over $7,150,000 stolen
$1,800,000 the highest person scammed
victims assaulted and threatened after being conned

[WarriorGM]

In true form, now you're just being a belligerent dumbass. CHEER a player who purposely conspired to throw a game? Or the circumstances that could lead to an even bigger instance? Use your head.

I was late in adding it to the previous post but I'll also refer to the case of Vince Carter supposedly telling his opponents when he was trying to get traded from the Raptors what his coach's plan was.

I think being fired is usually sufficient. The creeping criminalization of everything is a larger worry.

Match fixing has always been illegal. It's not a new thing.

In how many of those cases was gambling not involved? The match fixing is a symptom. The underlying cause is gambling.