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Read Full BioDespite being cleared by the NBA, Terry Rozier remains under federal investigation for suspicious betting activity related to his performance in a game between the Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans on March 23, 2023.
At a request from ESPN, bet logs from Harrah’s Gulf Coast sportsbook, run by Caesars in Biloxi, Mississippi, have been released.
The logs show that 30 bets were placed on unders in Rozier’s player prop markets. Rozier exited the game after just 10 minutes with a foot injury, which ensured that all of the prop bets were winners. He did not play again for the Hornets and was traded the following year to the Miami Heat.
Surge of Rozier Prop Bets Made on Game Day
The bet logs reveal that all 30 bets were placed within a 46-minute window on the morning of March 23.
In total, the bets amounted to $13,759, with the largest bet of $2,700 coming on under 5.5 rebounds for Rozier. That bet was made over the counter using a casino player’s card.
The other 29 bets were all placed at self-serve betting kiosks, a few hundred dollars at a time, beginning at 9:37 a.m., before the sportsbook counter was open.
Additionally, six sportsbooks in multiple states detected suspicious betting on Rozier props that day, with the majority of the activity occurring in Louisiana and Mississippi.
Mississippi Gaming Commission Refuses Casino Request to Void Bets
The bettor won a net $13,017.70, but Harrah’s Gulf Coast (Caesars) initially refused to pay out, citing the unusual pattern of activity.
Caesars contacted the Mississippi Gaming Commission (MGC) and requested permission to void the bets due to suspicions of insider information being used.
However, emails reveal that the MGC informed the sportsbook that it would be required to pay the winnings without any concrete evidence of foul play.
The email stated, “Has Caesars been able to come up with any evidence to support this being insider information? If not, the property – which I believe is Harrah’s Gulf Coast/Caesars – will need to pay out the wagers.”
Federal Probe Continues After Rozier Cleared by NBA
The NBA cleared Rozier after its investigations in 2023, but a federal investigation remains open.
Rozier’s attorney Jim Trusty noted that, “to date, Mr. Rozier has not been charged with any crimes, nor has he been characterized by prosecutors as a target.”
However, he did admit that, “Federal investigations can take years to complete, and the government rarely lets the subject of an investigation know whether or not they have been cleared of allegations of wrongdoing.”
Other NBA Players Involved in Federal Investigations
The investigation is part of the same inquiry that found former Toronto center Jontay Porter guilty of feeding insider information about his injury status to bettors.
Porter was banned for life by the NBA last year and is awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty to wire fraud charges. In addition to Porter and Rozier, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York is also investigating suspicious prop bets on Malik Beasley.
Unlike the bets on Porter and Rozier, the suspicious activity noted on Beasley related to losing bets. There was a flurry of activity on Beasley to record fewer than 2.5 rebounds in a game between the Milwaukee Bucks and Portland Trail Blazers on January 31, 2024. Beasley finished with six rebounds in the contest.
