NEW YORK (Reuters) -U.S. authorities have arrested more than 30 people, including Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, in connection with a federal investigation into illegal gambling, prosecutors said on Thursday.
Professional sports in North America have seen numerous examples of improper or illegal wagering among players from its earliest days to the modern era of legal betting. Here are some notable examples of sports betting scandals:
‘BLACK SOX’ BETTING SCANDAL
In one of the earliest and most infamous betting scandals in professional baseball, several members of the Chicago White Sox were found to have thrown games in the 1919 World Series, conspiring with gamblers to rig the outcome.
The scandal led to the election of baseball’s first commissioner, Kenesaw Mountain Landis, who banned eight White Sox players for their alleged involvement.
Landis also banned Philadelphia Phillies President William D. Cox for betting on games in 1943.
PETE ROSE BANISHED FOR BETS
Major League Baseball Commissioner Bart Giamatti slapped all-time hits leader Pete Rose with a lifetime ban in 1989 for gambling on games while he was the manager of the Cincinnati Reds.
The ban kept the 17-time All-Star out of the Hall of Fame, as Rose maintained his innocence for 15 years before admitting to the bets in 2004. He said he never bet against his own team.
Rose was posthumously removed from MLB’s permanently ineligible list earlier this year, making him eligible for the Hall of Fame, after repeated calls from U.S. President Donald Trump.
NFL SUSPENDS JOSH SHAW
Arizona Cardinals cornerback Josh Shaw earned the dubious distinction of becoming the first NFL player suspended for betting on multiple league games since the Supreme Court paved the way for legalized sports gambling in 2018.
The league suspended Shaw indefinitely in November 2019, though it acknowledged he did not use any insider information in his wagers. Shaw successfully appealed for reinstatement in 2021 but never again played in the NFL.
The NFL went on to set tough penalties for similar offenses in 2023, with players facing a minimum two-year suspension for betting on games involving their own teams and a minimum one-year suspension for betting on any NFL game.
NHL BANS SHANE PINTO
Ottawa Senators forward Shane Pinto earned a 41-game suspension – effectively half of the NHL season – for activities related to sports wagering in 2023.
Pinto, who was then 22 years old, was not found to have bet on any NHL games, according to the league, but he nonetheless served one of the NHL’s longest suspensions for violating gambling rules in a test of the modern online betting era.
He later returned to play for the Senators.
JONTAY PORTER’S LIFETIME BAN:
The NBA banned Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter for life in 2024 for violating the league’s gambling policy, in one of the most egregious cases of the modern sports betting era.
Porter limited his own game participation to influence the outcome of one or more bets on his performance, an NBA investigation found. In one case, he pulled himself from a game after just three minutes, claiming to feel ill.
He later pleaded guilty to a criminal conspiracy charge.
(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New York; Editing by Frank McGurty and Bill Berkrot)
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