Sammy 'The Bull' Gravano Spills On Nba Betting Scandal Shaking Up Socal And Beyond

LA's Latest Scandal: NBA Stars and Mafia Muscle in Hot Water

Los Angeles is no stranger to high-stakes drama, but the latest bombshell has even Tinseltown buzzing. Federal indictments have dropped, exposing a wild scheme of rigged gambling allegedly involving NBA heavyweights and some serious mafia players. We're talking underground poker games and insider sports betting with a SoCal summer energy twist - except this heat is coming straight from the feds.

Salvatore 'Sammy the Bull' Gravano, a former Gambino crime family underboss turned YouTuber, sat down with the Daily Mail to unpack this mess. Now living far from his mob days, Sammy's still got the inside scoop on how these shady deals go down. From Hollywood to the hardwood, this scandal is serving up more twists than a Sunset Strip thriller.

What’s got everyone shook? NBA star Terry Rozier of the Miami Heat and Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups are named as alleged 'face cards' - luring unsuspecting victims into these rigged games. With over 30 defendants charged across two cases, this ain't just a small-time hustle; it’s a full-on operation tied to four of the five La Cosa Nostra families, including the Gambino, Bonanno, Genovese, and Lucchese crews.

Behind the Bets: Mafia Tactics and Million-Dollar Losses

Gravano didn’t hold back on the gritty details. According to him, the real trouble brews when players lose big and can’t pay up. 'It’s the guys who lost and didn’t have enough to cover it - that’s when the muscle comes in,' he warned. We’re talking threats, intimidation, and even physical beatdowns to collect debts. This ain’t just a game; it’s straight-up Venice Beach boardwalk tough-guy vibes with a dark edge.

'The indictment looks minor right now, just gambling and all, but if they got rough with folks, it’s gonna get uglier. I wouldn’t be surprised if another round of charges drops with names we haven’t even heard yet,' Gravano told the Daily Mail.

The numbers are staggering - victims reportedly lost at least $7 million between 2019 and 2025, with one poor soul out $1.8 million alone. The scheme allegedly used insider NBA info for sports betting, while underground poker games were rigged to fleece players. Billups, a 2024 Hall of Famer and ex-NBA champ with the Detroit Pistons, faces charges for rigging poker, while Rozier’s tied to the betting side. Talk about a buzzer-beater gone wrong.

High-Tech Hustles: X-Ray Tables and Mafia Team-Ups

What’s got Sammy himself shook is the tech behind this hustle. We’re not talking old-school card tricks - think X-ray tables, high-tech contact lenses, and rigged shuffling machines that could read cards and predict hands. US Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr. laid it out: co-conspirators allegedly relayed info via off-site operators to players at the table, ensuring they always had the winning edge. This is some sci-fi, Silicon Valley-meets-Skid Row level scheming.

Even more wild? Four out of five La Cosa Nostra families reportedly teamed up for this multi-million-dollar operation. Gravano noted this ain’t the mafia he knew - back in the day, families kept their hustles solo. 'The Mafia created Vegas, man. They know how to make a game feel like a Malibu party - good-looking girls, massages, drinks - but this teamwork is unusual,' he mused. Still, he figures the bosses got their cut, with winnings 'kicked up' to the top dogs.

Names like Angelo Ruggiero Jr., son of the late Gambino captain, and Lee Fama, a poker tournament hotshot with a shady past, popped up in the indictments. Gravano knew some of these players personally, calling them 'good guys, tough guys,' but downplayed their crimes as small potatoes for the mafia world. Still, with Bonanno family member Ernest Aiello also charged, this web stretches far beyond LA’s city limits.

Star Power and Greed: NBA Icons Under Fire

The biggest shocker for Sammy - and let’s be real, for all of us - is how deep NBA stars are allegedly in this mess. Chauncey Billups, with a Hall of Fame nod and a $100 million career, got called out by Gravano for pure greed. 'If that’s not greed, I don’t know what is,' Sammy said, shaking his head at how someone with so much could risk it all for a dirty payout.

Terry Rozier, pulling in $26.6 million with the Heat, ain’t off the hook either. Allegedly tied to illegal sports betting with insider info, his name in the mix adds fuel to this already blazing scandal. It’s like watching a Lakers-Celtics rivalry, except the court is a courtroom, and the stakes are way higher than a championship ring.

As the feds dig deeper, Gravano hints this is just the opening act. With NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch slamming the scheme as a classic organized crime move - complete with threats and violence - more arrests could be coming. So, grab your popcorn, LA - this scandal’s got more drama than a red carpet premiere, and we’re all waiting for the next big reveal.