"Poker chip trays that can secretly read cards. Glasses that can detect card markings. Rigged underground games run by the New York mafia. NBA figures exchanging insider information as part of illegal betting schemes. These are some of the wild allegations filed in two criminal complaints this week by federal prosecutors in one of the most sweeping and sensational betting scandals in recent professional sports history."
"Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, who played with the Clippers for two seasons and later was a member of Clippers coach Ty Lue's staff before earning the Trail Blazers head coaching job, is charged with rigging underground poker games that three of New York's Mafia families backed, authorities said. Billups and Damon Jones, a retired NBA player, according to one of the two indictments revealed Thursday, were used to attract wealthy players to the games and were referred to as "Face Cards.""
Criminal complaints allege a broad betting and cheating operation involving NBA figures, organized crime, and advanced technology. The allegations include poker chip trays that read cards, glasses that detect card markings, and rigged shuffling machines that predict winning hands. Court filings claim some NBA insiders provided private information about player availability to profit from leveraged online bets. High-stakes underground poker games are described as backed by New York Mafia families, with recruited players labeled as "Face Cards" who received portions of winnings in exchange for participation in cheating teams.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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