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Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups has been accused of being a key figure in an elaborate underground betting scheme. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the rigged poker ring cheated victims — including legitimate sportsbooks — out of millions of dollars.

The DOJ’s explosive 22-page indictment claims Billups and former NBA player Damon Jones colluded with members of the Bonanno, Gambino, and Genovese crime families to lure players into high-stakes, rigged poker games between 2019 and 2024.

Over 30 Arrested in Mafia-Linked Sports Gambling Operation Involving NBA Head Coach - USA Herald

The alleged scheme sounds like something out of a mob thriller: poker tables outfitted with X-ray technology, marked cards, rigged mechanical shufflers, and sensor-equipped contact lenses worn by insiders to read opponents’ hands.

“It’s the stuff of a blockbuster mob movie,” federal attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. said at Thursday’s press conference, “except this one played out in real life.”

More details are available in Yahoo Sports’ full report.

How the Underground Betting Scheme Operated

According to the DOJ, Billups and Jones acted as “Face Cards,” using their NBA fame to attract wealthy players to what appeared to be exclusive, celebrity-filled poker nights in Manhattan, Las Vegas, and the Hamptons.

“These individuals allegedly hosted illegal poker games where they used sophisticated technology and enlisted current and former NBA players to cheat people out of millions of dollars,” said NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, per the DOJ.

Federal investigators allege that when players realized they had been cheated and refused to pay, members of the crime families used “threats, intimidation, and violence” to enforce debts.

The poker ring reportedly stole at least $7 million from its victims. Data from the Deckmate 2 shuffler—a machine commonly used in casinos—was transmitted to an off-site conspirator, who relayed information about the order of cards to an insider at the table. That player, dubbed the “Quarterback,” then used hand signals to communicate with the cheating players.

Professional poker commentator Matt Berkey claims he had refused to participate in those same games years earlier. On his Only Friends podcast, Berkey said the games were “for sure confirmed to be cheating,” citing multiple players who consistently hit statistically impossible draws.

Legal Fallout and Denial from Billups’ Camp

Billups, who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021 and has been the Trail Blazers’ head coach since 2021, faces money laundering conspiracy and wire fraud conspiracy charges. He was arraigned in Portland and later released on bail.

His attorney, Chris Heywood, issued a strong denial:

“To believe that Chauncey Billups did what the federal government is accusing him of is to believe that he would risk his Hall of Fame legacy, his reputation, and his freedom. He would not jeopardize those things for anything, let alone a card game.”

Billups has since been placed on immediate leave by the Trail Blazers. Assistant coach Tiago Splitter will serve as the interim head coach while the case is being developed.

More on the timeline of the FBI probe can be found here.

The Broader Impact on Sports and Gambling

The underground poker ring allegations come at a time when the NBA and other major sports leagues are facing increased scrutiny over gambling integrity. The FBI confirmed that the poker investigation overlaps with a separate insider sports betting case involving multiple NBA figures.

Authorities have not ruled out additional indictments, indicating that this may only be the beginning of a larger crackdown on organized crime.