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Details have emerged about the technology used to rig poker games in the illegal gambling scheme that allegedly included NBA Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and retired NBA player Damon Jones.
Documents released by the FBI allege the conspirators used a card-shuffling machine that used concealed technology to read the cards in the deck and predict which player at the table had the best hand, and relayed that information via interstate wires to an off-site operator.
According to the documents, that operator allegedly communicated that information back to a lead conspirator at the poker table, who used signals to relay the information with other conspirators at the table.
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The FBI documents also allege that the cheating players used other technology, including electronic chip trays that could secretly read cards placed on the table, card analyzers that could also detect which cards were on the table, and invisible markings placed on the cards that could only be seen with the help of specially-designed contact lenses or glasses.
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Joseph Nocella Jr. called it “one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since online sports betting became widely legalized in the United States,” and detailed the type of technology that was used at a press conference on Thursday.
“They used off-the-shelf shuffling machines that had been secretly altered in order to read the cards in the deck, predict which player at the table had the best poker hand, and relay that information to an off-site operator,” Nocella said.
NBA LEGEND CHAUNCEY BILLUPS, HEAT’S TERRY ROZIER ARRESTED AS PART OF FBI GAMBLING PROBE
A green poker table with poker cards is seen during the World Series of Poker 2021 at RIO All-Suite Hotel & Casino on Oct. 6, 2021, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Diego Ribas/PxImages)
“Defendants used other cheating technologies such as poker chip tray analyzers—which is a poker chip tray that secretly read cards using a hidden camera—special contact lenses or eyeglasses that could read pre-marked cards, and an X-ray table that could read cards face down on the table.”
Billups and Jones were allegedly used as celebrity figures to draw in competitors for the allegedly rigged poker games.
The DOJ said that in April 2019, Billups was one of five defendants who “organized and participated in rigged poker games” in Las Vegas “using a rigged shuffling machine” with the victims losing at least $50,000. One of the defendants texted another co-conspirator that Billups should purposefully lose a hand to avoid cheating suspicions.
During that game, a defendant said one of the victims had “acted like he wanted Chauncey to have his money” because he was “star struck” by Billups, according to officials.
In October 2020, Billups was allegedly wired $50,000 following a rigged poker game. Before one game, Jones allegedly asked for a $10,000 advance and said that he “needed” action “bad.” He was given $2,500.
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Poker cards and former NBA player Chauncey Billups (Photo by Soobum Im/Getty Images)
Billups’ career earnings exceeded $100 million as a player, while Jones made at least $20 million.
Over 30 people were arrested Thursday for their alleged roles in both schemes.
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