A 2023 NBA game between the Charlotte Hornets and the New Orleans Pelicans has resurfaced in headlines after documents revealed a professional gambler placed 30 bets in just 46 minutes, all targeting unders on Terry Rozier’s stats.
The bets were not only unusually timed but unusually accurate, as Rozier exited the game just 10 minutes in with a foot injury, finishing with five points, four rebounds, and two assists, all beneath their betting lines.
The story, first reported by ESPN’s David Purdum, has triggered a full-scale federal investigation now tying Rozier to the same betting probe that brought down former Raptors center Jontay Porter.
The bets, totaling $13,759, were placed at Harrah’s Gulf Coast sportsbook in Biloxi, Mississippi, with 29 of them logged at a self-service kiosk before 10 a.m., and the largest, a $2,700 bet on Rozier under 5.5 rebounds, was made in person using a casino loyalty card. Remarkably, all the bets cashed.
Harrah’s initially refused to pay out the winnings, citing internal rules against “rigged” bets and alleging possible use of inside information. The Mississippi Gaming Commission got involved and demanded evidence. Caesars, Harrah’s parent company, ultimately paid the full $13,017.70 in winnings to the bettor.
The core suspicion hinges on timing. The fact that a rush of betting activity almost entirely on the unders of one player occurred well before game time and before Rozier was listed with any injury immediately raised red flags. Six different sportsbooks in Louisiana and Mississippi noticed the suspicious volume.
According to ESPN, U.S. Integrity flagged the action and issued a nationwide alert by 2:24 p.m. that day, causing sportsbooks across the country to halt all Rozier prop bets within the hour.
The NBA conducted its own review back in 2023 and found no evidence Rozier violated league rules. Still, two years later, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York has placed Rozier under investigation.
His attorney, Jim Trusty, insists that while Rozier has cooperated fully with both the FBI and NBA, he is not a target.
“It’s unfortunate that he’s a big name in sports and is having to endure all this. My hope and expectation is that at some point that they’ll be done with their investigation and will be professional enough to let us know that it’s 100 percent over and that they reached the same conclusion that was reached in 2023.”
The case mirrors the infamous Jontay Porter betting scandal that led to his lifetime ban. Porter admitted to manipulating in-game performance to hit unders and help others profit. Now, some of the same betting accounts tied to Porter also reportedly placed bets on Rozier in the Hornets-Pelicans game.
Malik Beasley, most recently with the Detroit Pistons, is another player named in the probe. Not only is he under federal scrutiny, but he’s also being sued by his barber, his dentist, and his former sports agency, adding layers of financial and legal chaos to his situation.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver finally broke his silence recently on the widening scandal, stating that they are not shutting down the market because of a few bad apples. He defended the NBA’s gambling partnerships but also warned that players must understand the consequences.
But the incident has once again put the integrity of sports betting and player transparency under a harsh spotlight. The NBA, for now, is staying silent.
