"Members of Congress sent a letter Friday to NBA commissioner Adam Silver requesting a briefing and expressing concern over "allegations of illegal gambling and sports rigging" after Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA player and coach Damon Jones were indicted in a pair of sweeping federal investigations this week. The bipartisan letter, signed by six members of Congress on the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, requested a briefing with Silver by Oct. 31."
"The committee, which oversees consumer protection and sports, said in its letter that it has previously investigated "steroid use in Major League Baseball, anti-doping measures at the Olympic Games and the sexual abuse of Olympic athletes." Committee members requested more details on alleged NBA-related illegal gambling activity, the actions that the league has taken "to limit the disclosure of non-public information for illegal purposes" and if the NBA's code of conduct is effective in prohibiting players and coaches from such activity."
"They also questioned in the letter if the league is "reevaluating the terms of its partnerships with sports betting companies." DraftKings and FanDuel are the NBA's official gambling partners, alongside a number of authorized gaming operators. In the letter, committee members also asked for clarification of any gaps in existing regulations that allow for fraudulent betting activity. Silver said on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Tuesday that more regulation is needed to reduce opportunities for game manipulation related to gambling and to combat bad fan behavior in arenas, which may stem from losing wagers."
Six bipartisan members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce requested a briefing with NBA commissioner Adam Silver by Oct. 31 following indictments of Chauncey Billups, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones in two federal gambling investigations. The committee sought details on alleged NBA-related illegal gambling activity, league actions to limit disclosure of non-public information, the effectiveness of the NBA code of conduct, and whether partnerships with sports-betting companies should be reevaluated. Committee members also asked for clarification of regulatory gaps that enable fraudulent betting. Commissioner Silver called for more regulation to reduce game-manipulation opportunities and curb bad fan behavior related to losing wagers.
Read at ESPN.com
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