NBA Faces Congressional Scrutiny Over Betting Scandals
NBA representatives met with congressional staffers in Washington to discuss the league’s relationship with sportsbooks and the fallout from recent gambling-related federal indictments.
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:League officials held a closed-door, fact-finding session with staff from multiple congressional offices this week, two people familiar with the talks told The Associated Press. The meeting came after federal indictments last month involving Miami guard Terry Rozier and Portland coach Chauncey Billups, among others, and focused on how the NBA interacts with sports-betting operators and how it responds to suspicious wagering patterns.
Commissioner Adam Silver did not attend the session, nor were any sitting members of Congress present, the sources said. Those people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because details of the discussion were not yet public, described the contact as an attempt by Capitol Hill staff to gather information ahead of potential follow-up inquiries from lawmakers.
Key questions include why Rozier was allowed to play after bettors and sportsbooks flagged unusual betting activity tied to the March 23, 2023, game in which he played for the Charlotte Hornets, and how the league’s internal investigations are conducted. Federal prosecutors allege Rozier conspired with associates who placed wagers based on his statistical performance in that game; similar allegations previously surrounded former NBA player Jontay Porter, who was banned in 2024.
Senators Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell, the Republican chairman and top Democrat of the Senate Commerce Committee respectively, have sought detailed answers from the NBA about the probe and its outcomes. "This Committee needs to understand the specifics of the NBA’s investigation and why Rozier was cleared to continue playing basketball", Cruz and Cantwell said in a joint letter seeking documents and explanations.
“The pacing and transparency of league investigations are central to public confidence in professional sports”, said David G. Schwartz, director of the International Gaming Institute at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. “Congressional scrutiny is likely to focus on where responsibility sits – with teams, leagues or regulated operators – and on whether current protocols for flagging and pausing player participation are fit for purpose.”
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Lawmakers' Requests and Next Steps
House and Senate committees have asked for a range of materials from the NBA, including internal investigation notes, communications with sportsbooks, and any analyses of betting patterns tied to league games. A House panel is also probing whether regulatory gaps enable illegal betting schemes and whether federal oversight of sports wagering would better protect the integrity of competitions.
Legal experts say Congress is likely to press for clearer standards and better information-sharing among leagues, operators and law enforcement. "There’s no uniform federal framework for sports betting oversight, which makes it difficult to coordinate across jurisdictions and commercial actors", said I. Nelson Rose, a gaming-law scholar. "Lawmakers will probably push for reporting requirements and stronger protocols to stop players from participating in situations where bets are being placed on their performance."
The meeting does not appear to have satisfied all requests from members of Congress. Staffers are expected to compile what they heard and formalize further document requests to the NBA. The league has repeatedly said it would welcome federal standards for sports wagering rather than the patchwork of state-by-state rules that now governs the market.
As investigations and legal proceedings continue, the NBA faces pressure to show that it can detect and deter illicit activity while protecting competitive integrity. Capitol Hill involvement raises the likelihood of legislative attention to sports-betting regulation, which could reshape how leagues, teams and sportsbooks manage wagering concerns going forward.
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