Mr. Big Shot is in Big Trouble. NBA Hall of Famer and Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups got hit with federal charges on Oct. 23, 2025, over a huge gambling scandal. Billups allegedly played a role in rigging high-stakes poker games that were run by major organized crime families.

More Details On Chauncey Billups’ Card Game Scandal

According to The New York Times, over 30 individuals, including members and associates of the Bonanno, Gambino, and Genovese crime families, were indicted in a multi-state investigation.

The investigation revealed how underground poker games were artificially stacked in favor of organized crime operators. Coaches and former players, including Billups, allegedly served as “face cards” to lend credibility to the games and attract high-wealth gamblers.

Prosecutors are claiming games were rigged using altered shuffling machines, X-ray tables, disguised cameras, and special contact lenses or glasses. Victims lost tens of thousands to millions of dollars, with at least $7 million identified in the case as yet.

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Billups, already on leave from the Trail Blazers and suspended by the NBA, is strongly denying wrongdoing. His attorney stated Billups would never risk his reputation, freedom, or Hall-of-Fame legacy for a card game.

While this case centers on poker, it comes amid broader concerns about sports-betting integrity in the NBA. While Billups faces charges in a separate case, related defendants allegedly used inside information to tip off bettors. He was not previously named in that specific indictment.

This moment raises big questions about character, accountability, and the expanding gambling economy. For sports fans, this taints trust in one of the league’s respected figures.

Chauncey Billups once stood for “Mr. Big Shot,” who, in 2004, helped win a championship. Now, that name is part of one of the most serious gambling scandals to hit the NBA in years.