The NBA is reevaluating its sports betting policies following high-profile indictments, with a renewed focus on player protection, regulatory reform, and the risks of proposition bets.
In the wake of a federal investigation that led to the arrests of Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, the NBA has issued a league-wide memo outlining its intent to reassess its approach to legal sports betting.
The memo, distributed to all 30 teams, emphasizes the need to strengthen integrity safeguards, particularly around prop bets —wagers on individual player performance —which the league views as especially vulnerable to manipulation.
2025 NBA Scandal
According to federal prosecutors, Rozier allegedly conspired with a childhood associate to profit from insider information. The indictment claims Rozier informed the associate that he would exit a March 2023 game early, leading to a surge in bets on the “under” for his performance stats.
The associate reportedly sold this non-public information to gamblers for $100,000. Rozier left the game after just over nine minutes, citing a foot injury. Multiple sportsbooks flagged the betting activity as suspicious and suspended wagers on Rozier before tip-off.
The NBA’s memo states that while the suspicious betting was detected due to the legal nature of the wagers, more robust regulatory measures are needed. The league is now reviewing its injury reporting protocols, education programs for players and staff, and the use of AI-driven monitoring tools to detect irregular betting patterns across sportsbooks, social media, and other data sources.
Billups, meanwhile, faces separate charges tied to illegal poker games allegedly connected to organized crime. Both he and Rozier have been placed on administrative leave by the NBA pending further investigation.
Offshore Sports Betting in the Philippines
While the league grapples with domestic regulatory challenges, online NBA betting sites in the Philippines continue to operate legally and serve both domestic and international bettors.
The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) is responsible for regulating local operators but does not enforce compliance standards, such as anti-money laundering protocols, responsible gambling tools, and integrity monitoring, for offshore sites. Those responsibilities fall to gaming compliance regulators that license online sports betting sites.
