On Oct. 23, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trailblazers head coach Chauncey Billups were arrested as part of a large-scale gambling investigation tied to insider sports betting and mafia-run poker schemes. Authorities claim more than 30 defendants are involved, with “mind-boggling” sums of money at stake. This scandal reignites the debate over how sports gambling continues to blur ethical lines and threaten the integrity of the game.
Over the past few years, sports betting has skyrocketed in popularity. In 2024 alone, Americans bet $148 billion through apps like Underdog or DraftKings, which provide platforms where users can place wagers on games. This rise in instant betting has also created new opportunities for misuse, as seen in the Rozier case, where private information on his playing status was used to place bets on his performance. The line between fair play and manipulation has become blurred as users can now bet on nearly every in-game action, exploiting even the smallest shifts in player performance. As a result, the explosion of sports betting apps is slowly ruining the integrity of the games they profit from.
Not too long ago, sports betting was seen as taboo — at the beginning of 2018 it was only legal in four states. Prior to this, the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act blocked sports betting in an attempt to protect the overall integrity of sports, a law later challenged in Murphy vs. NCAA, which argued that it violated the 10th Amendment. The decision ultimately struck down PASPA, giving states the authority to decide whether or not to legalize sports betting. Leagues from the NFL to the NBA took part in suing New Jersey, saying that the law was a “clear violation” of the federal ban on state-sponsored sports betting. It’s strikingly ironic that leagues that were once opponents of legalized sports betting now profit from the very industry they fought to ban, forming partnerships with sportsbooks like FanDuel — a hypocritical move that enabled recent scandals to occur.
The ease of placing bets via apps for the chances of extreme financial gain makes it even more tempting for players and officials to manipulate or rig games. Since the repeal of PASPA, multiple professional athletes and coaches have been either suspended or fired for gambling-related reasons. Furthermore, the ability to place prop bets and microbets makes scheming easier, since altering a small event is harder to detect. Each new scandal exposes just how fragile sports integrity has become.
Moreover, sports betting has been linked to multiple psychological and financial risks. In a Huff Post article, psychotherapist Renèe Zavislak shared that the dangers of sports betting apps is that they combine “the highly addictive nature of smartphone use” with “the highly addictive nature of sports gambling.” Essentially, these sports betting apps are designed to keep users constantly engaged, similar to social media. A study from the National Library of Medicine also found that “young adults with greater problem sports betting severity had significantly higher scores on each index of mental health symptomology and had poorer indices of well-being.” In recent years, the NCAA has also been very vocal about the negative mental health impacts of sports betting, specifically involving abusive threats.
Alongside psychological impacts, sports betting has also been linked to financial risks. A 2025 U.S. News Report found that one out of four sports bettors say they have been unable to pay a bill because of wagers they made and almost a third of sports betters say they have debts they attribute to gambling. Ultimately, the promise of quick cash seems to be giving way to mental and financial instability for many.
What began as a form of getting fans engaged has transformed into an industry that is profiting from addiction and financial loss. It is critical that these apps, alongside the leagues, take responsibility for the culture they have helped to create. Stronger regulations and responsible gaming education are crucial steps that should be taken to restore integrity for both athletes and users. If the business of sports continues to prioritize profit over people, we risk not just losing the integrity of sports, but also the trust that makes fans fall in love with the game in the first place.
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Contact Leila Abarca at [email protected].