Plenty More Gambling Fraud Could Be Brewing, Especially in College Sports
Ex-NBA referee Tim Donaghy, who served time for fixing games, warns that recent federal gambling busts—including Trail Blazers coach and Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups, Heat guard Terry Rozier, and former Cavs player and assistant Damon Jones—are likely just “the tip of the iceberg.”
Appearing Thursday on NewsNation’s Cuomo with Chris Cuomo, Donaghy suggested that college athletes could be particularly vulnerable.
“You’re going to see maybe a bigger scandal coming out of the college level,” Donaghy said. “These young athletes, many of whom won’t make it professionally, might be offered money to manipulate games—winning by 12 instead of 15, for example—and they’ll take it to support themselves and their families.”
NEW: Ex-NBA Ref Tim Donaghy Says the Real Scandal Is Coming
“I think this is just the tip of the iceberg… you're going to see maybe a more of a bigger scandal coming out of the college level, because you have these young athletes that aren't going to make it to the next level,… pic.twitter.com/PVN5OLsbKK
— UngaTheGreat (@UngaTheGreat) October 24, 2025
Tim Donaghy, shown refereeing in 2000, pleaded guilty to his role in the scheme, claiming he had been pressured by the Gambino crime family. He served approximately 11 months of a 15-month sentence before his release in 2009.
Thursday’s massive gambling crackdown, which FBI Director Kash Patel called “mind-boggling,” led to more than 30 arrests—including associates from four New York mafia families.
Terry Rozier during a 2025 game with the Heat.
FBI Director Kash Patel said the arrests stem from a yearslong investigation spanning 11 states. One indictment targets a high-stakes illegal gambling ring accused of selling insider information to sports bettors, while the other focuses on allegedly rigged poker games, federal officials said.
Billups faces charges in the illegal poker scheme, while Rozier’s alleged violations involve sports betting and purported prop bet manipulation. Damon Jones appears in both cases.
Donaghy’s warning comes ahead of the Nov. 1 rollout allowing college athletes to bet on professional sports—a surprising policy reversal that could increase vulnerability to similar schemes.
