From bets to busts: A timeline of gambling controversies in sports

Since May 2018 — when a Supreme Court decision allowed states to individually regulate sports betting, paving the way for its widespread legalization — many leagues have grappled with rules around gambling, and numerous famous athletes have been involved in controversies tied to the topic.

Some form of sports gambling is legal and regulated in 38 states, as well as Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

On Thursday, the NBA became the latest league to dominate the sports conversation due to a gambling scandal, as Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier were arrested as part of a sweeping federal investigation into illegal betting activities.

In light of the recent news, let’s revisit the famous sports betting scandals since that landmark case.

November 2019: NFL suspends Josh Shaw for betting on games

On Nov. 29, 2019, the NFL suspended then-injured Arizona Cardinals cornerback Josh Shaw for betting on NFL games on multiple occasions. It marked the first instance of the league suspending an active player for betting on games following the Supreme Court’s 2018 decision.

October 2021: MLS suspends Felipe Hernandez after investigation

MLS announced on Oct. 21, 2021, that it suspended Sporting KC midfielder Felipe Hernandez through the end of the year for betting on MLS games. A league investigation found that Hernandez placed online bets on two MLS games, neither involving Sporting KC. Hernandez told his team he was worried about his safety due to his gambling debts, according to the league.

March 2022: NFL suspends WR Calvin Ridley

The NFL announced on March 7, 2022, that then-Atlanta Falcons receiver Calvin Ridley would be suspended at least through the 2022 season for betting on NFL games, including Falcons contests. Ridley, now playing for the Tennessee Titans, was reinstated in March 2023 and wrote at the time in an article for The Players’ Tribune that he “made the worst mistake of (his) life by gambling on football.”

December 2022: New York Jets WR coach Miles Austin suspended

Then-New York Jets wide receivers coach Miles Austin was suspended for violating the NFL’s Gambling Policy, a league source confirmed on Dec. 23, 2022. There was no indication that Austin bet on NFL games as a coach, but bet on other sports in violation of the league’s policy.

April 2023: NFL suspends 5 players for betting

In April 2023, the NFL suspended four then-Detroit Lions players — Jameson Williams, Quintez Cephus, C.J. Moore and Stanley Berryhill — and then-Washington Commanders defensive end Shaka Toney for sports betting. Williams and Berryhill received six-game suspensions for betting on non-NFL games from an NFL facility, while Cephus, Moore and Toney were suspended indefinitely for betting on NFL games.

May 2023: Alabama fires baseball coach Brad Bohannon

Alabama fired baseball coach Brad Bohannon on May 4, 2023, after he was found to be connected with betting activity in Ohio concerning an LSU-Alabama game, two people briefed on the investigation previously said.

May 2023: Iowa, Iowa State announce gambling probe

The two schools announced in May 2023 that dozens of athletes across multiple men’s sports, including baseball, football and basketball, as well as a full-time Iowa athletic department employee, were suspected of violating NCAA rules on sports betting.

June 2023: NFL suspends four players for gambling violations

On June 29, 2023, the NFL suspended four players — then-Colts cornerback Isaiah Rodgers and defensive end Rashod Berry, then-free agent Demetrius Taylor and then-Titans’ lineman Nicholas Petit-Frere — for violating the league’s gambling policy. Rodgers, Berry and Taylor were suspended indefinitely for betting on NFL games, and Petit-Frere received a six-game suspension for betting on non-NFL sports at the club facility.

October 2023: NHL suspends Shane Pinto for betting-related infraction

The league announced on Oct. 26, 2023, that Ottawa Senators forward Shane Pinto was suspended for 41 games for activities related to sports wagering. It was the NHL’s first betting-related suspension in the era of online gambling.

January 2024: Kayshon Boutte arrested on illegal gambling charges

New England Patriots wide receiver and former LSU player Kayshon Boutte was arrested in January 2024 and charged with computer fraud and gaming prohibited for persons under 21, Louisiana State Police previously announced. Boutte participated in sports gambling from April 6, 2022, until May 7, 2023, when he was 20 years old, police said. The state later dropped the charges.

March 2024: Ex-Jaguars employee Amit Patel sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison

Former Jacksonville Jaguars employee Amit Patel, who stole $22 million from the team, was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison on March 12, 2024. Patel pleaded guilty in December 2023 to charges of wire fraud and an illegal monetary transaction. His attorney previously said the vast majority of the $22 million he stole was to subsidize gambling losses.

March 2024: Dodgers fire Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter Ippei Mizuhara

The Los Angeles Dodgers fired Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, on March 20, 2024, after Mizuhara was accused of engaging in a “massive theft” and using the player’s money to place bets. Mizuhara was ultimately sentenced to 57 months in federal prison for stealing nearly $17 million from Ohtani to cover sports gambling debts. He pleaded guilty to one count of bank fraud and one count of subscribing to a false tax return.

April 2024: NBA bans Jontay Porter for life

The NBA banned Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter from the league for life on April 17, 2024, after an investigation found that Porter told a sports bettor he was injured, removed himself from a game to control prop bets on his play and placed bets on NBA games.

June 2024: MLB bans Tucupita Marcano for life, suspends 4 others

On June 4, 2024, MLB announced a lifetime ban against then-injured San Diego Padres player Tucupita Marcano after the league found he had placed 25 bets the season prior on the Pittsburgh Pirates as a member of that team. The league also said at the time it was suspending four other players — Michael Kelly, Jay Groome, José Rodríguez and Andrew Saalfrank — for a year because they bet on baseball games they were not directly tied to.

June 2024: MLB disciplines umpire for violating gambling rules

Ten days after the MLB announced the Marcano ban, the league said it disciplined umpire Pat Hoberg for violating the league’s gambling rules. The league fired Hoberg in February for sharing betting accounts with a professional poker player who bet on baseball.

August 2024: Notre Dame suspends men’s swimming team after probe

Notre Dame announced on Aug. 15, 2024, that it suspended its men’s swimming program for at least one year after an external investigation found NCAA gambling violations and “culture” concerns. The program returned to competition this fall.

January 2025: Terry Rozier under federal investigation for betting scheme

News broke on Jan. 30 that then-Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was under federal investigation for possibly manipulating his performance in a 2023 NBA game — when he was with the Charlotte Hornets — as part of an illegal sports gambling operation. The Wall Street Journal first reported the news, and The Athletic confirmed.

June 2025: Malik Beasley part of federal gambling investigation

Malik Beasley’s lawyer confirmed on June 29 that Beasley was a person of interest in a gambling-related federal investigation. His lawyer later said the ex-Detroit Pistons guard, now a free agent, was not a target of the Department of Justice’s investigation into sports gambling by players. The NBA opened its own investigation into Beasley over the summer.

July 2025: MLB investigating Luis Ortiz

Cleveland Guardians pitcher Luis Ortiz was placed on paid administrative leave on July 3 as a result of an MLB investigation, multiple sources previously said. The league is investigating whether Ortiz pre-determined the outcome of certain pitches, which were flagged due to unusual betting patterns.

October 2025: Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier arrested amid sprawling probe

NBA figures Billups and Rozier were arrested Thursday as part of major federal investigations into illegal betting activities. Billups, a Hall of Famer, was indicted for his alleged participation in a years-long scheme to defraud card players in poker games that were said to have involved numerous members of mafia crime families in New York. Rozier was charged after allegedly exiting a game on purpose in 2023 so a co-conspirator could win a bet.

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