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Three active athletes face charges related to illegal sports gambling, including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier.
Rozier, Chauncey Billups and Damon Jones were arrested in October, Rozier allegedly voluntarily removed himself from a game early, so his friends could benefit from bets on his “slot” props.
Since then, there have been reports that the NBA wanted to eliminate “under” betting, and following the arrest of two Cleveland Guardians pitchers, Major League Baseball decided to limit betting on specific pitches.
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Seven-time NBA All-Star Alonzo Mourning is inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame during the 2014 Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Springfield Symphony Hall. (David Butler II/USA TODAY Sports)
It’s an act that Basketball Hall of Famer and Heat legend Alonzo Mourning wishes the NBA would take.
“You need the front office to regulate that. I mean, all the networks are promoting gambling right now, you know? You have every type of gambling site in every sport now. You go to different arenas, and they’re promoting gambling during the game. So you have to let the front offices regulate that and clean it up. You know, it’s that simple. It’s just not fun to see,” Mourning said in an interview with PK Press Club Digital.
“It stigmatizes these sports leagues. It’s something that, you know, these front offices need to clean up. So I think the NBA – they’re going to do what they need to do to clean up the image, as well as baseball, as well as football, whatever sport is facing this crisis, because it seems like the game is here to stay. I don’t see it going anywhere anytime soon. Now that it’s been introduced, I don’t think it’s going to go anywhere.”
Alonzo Mourning makes a layup against the New Jersey Nets in East Rutherford, New Jersey on May 1, 2005. (Manny Millan/Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
NBA LEGEND REFLECTS ON THE EVOLUTION OF THE GAME AND ITS CONTINUING COMMITMENT TO GIVING BACK TO THE COMMUNITY
Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were accused of intentionally throwing balls. Officials said in the indictment that from May 2023 to June 2025, Clase agreed with a co-conspirator to “throw specific pitches in certain MLB games” so that bettors they allegedly associated with would “profit from illegal bets made based on this inside information.” Ortiz would have joined the program in June 2025.
Emmanuel Clase, left, and Luis Ortiz, were indicted in a federal gambling investigation on November 9, 2025. (IMAGINE)
The NBA figures were among around 30 people indicted for gaming rings that also involved the mafia, including illegal poker games.
