"Now, as the dust has cleared, it's time to also clear away the bullshit and talk about what is really at play. First, let's remove Billups's involvement in rigged poker games. Let's agree that if these charges are true, getting involved in Mafia "smokers"-New York City outer-borough slang for illegal card games-is a bad idea for a head coach. It's also been happening as long as there has been organized crime, which roughly coincides with the beginning of professional sports."
"This story is not about "Albanian Bruce" and high-tech cheating at cards. It's about the fear that "federal investigation" is really just code for "payback." And it's about the NBA's fear that if fans begin to doubt the legitimacy of the sport, it could put at risk billions of dollars in revenue from legal gambling. The investigation stretches back into the Biden administration, but there is no mistaking when the indictments went public: the opening week of the NBA season."
Allegations linked a Hall-of-Fame-player-turned-head-coach to Mafia-run illegal poker "smokers" while another player was accused of sharing insider information despite being cleared. Participation in illegal card games has long been associated with organized crime and professional sports. The central concern focuses on perceptions that federal investigations may serve as political payback rather than neutral law enforcement. The NBA fears that doubts about game legitimacy could imperil billions in revenue tied to legal gambling. The timing of public indictments, coinciding with the league's season opener, intensified concerns about political motivations.
Read at The Nation
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