More Inside Story of Billups Arrest: Illegal Gambling Case Involves Mafia Profiting from Illegal Card Game

NBA head coaches and many players were arrested. Trail Blazers head coach Billups was arrested for illegal gambling. Heat player Rozier was arrested by the FBI on suspicion of gambling and faces a lifetime ban and jail time.

According to US media NBC, two senior law enforcement officials said that Trail Blazers head coach Billups was arrested for participating in gambling, but it has nothing to do with the games he coached; NBC followed up by reporting that law enforcement's interest in Billups stemmed from the arrest and indictment of another NBA star Arenas four months ago for allegedly organizing an illegal high-stakes poker game at a property in the Los Angeles area.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California accused Arenas of participating in these illegal activities. In July this year, Arenas was arrested on suspicion of illegally operating a casino. He later pleaded not guilty in the Los Angeles federal court and paid a $50,000 bail. After his release, he celebrated excitedly and said: Opening the casino has nothing to do with me, I just rented the house.

NBC continued to report that Billups was involved in illegal poker games held in Manhattan, Miami, Las Vegas and the Hamptons. The poker game allegedly involved members of at least three New York Mafia families, officials said.

Officials also pointed out that Billups and Damon Jones were paid for their participation in the above activities. On one occasion, Jones asked for an upfront partial payment of $2,500 before participating in a game.

According to ABC News, sources revealed that Billups and Rozier belong to two separate cases. Billups' arrest in Oregon was linked to a separate but related illegal gambling case involving an illegal poker operation with ties to the Mafia. He was arrested in Oregon and is expected to make his first court appearance on Friday.

Minghui Shams reported: Billups and Rozier were arrested this morning. Rozier was arrested because he was suspected of participating in sports gambling, especially betting involving personal performance data, while Billups was related to an illegal poker betting group involving the Mafia. The FBI has been investigating this situation for several months. In Rozier's case, it has been investigated for at least two years, and the arrest was made today.

The 49-year-old Billups has played in the NBA for 17 seasons, playing for the Raptors, Nuggets, Timberwolves, Pistons, Knicks and Clippers. He played in a total of 1,043 regular season games, averaging 15.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 5.4 assists per game. He was selected to the All-Star 5 times. In the 2003-04 season, he led the Pistons to win the championship and won the FMVP.

Billups is currently the head coach of the Trail Blazers. He is very optimistic about the development prospects of Chinese player Yang Hansen and has given him many playing opportunities. Therefore, Billups' arrest may affect Yang Hansen's development.

Billups' total income in the 17 seasons of his career exceeded US$106 million. According to reports, his annual salary during his tenure as the head coach of the Trail Blazers was approximately US$4.75 million.

Heat player Rozier was arrested on suspicion of illegal betting. He was one of many arrested people accused of using inside information to conduct illegal betting and turning professional basketball into a criminal gambling activity.

Rozier's annual salary for the new season is US$26.6 million. If he is found guilty, the league can cancel his contract and ban him for life; last year, Jontay Porter was arrested on suspicion of gambling, and he was later banned by the NBA for life and may face 3-4 years in prison.

According to NBC reporter Jonathan Dienst, two senior law enforcement officials revealed that dozens of members of organized crime groups and their associates are expected to face other criminal charges in two separate illegal gambling cases; former NBA player Damon Jones has been arrested by the FBI in Las Vegas on gambling charges. There is currently no indication that his betting on events is related to his own participation in the game, and he has also been accused of illegal gambling, similar to Billups' situation.