Bipartisan E&C Leaders Request Briefing from NBA Commissioner Adam Silver Following Allegations of Sports Fixing and Illegal Gambling

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, House Committee on Energy and Commerce Chairman Brett Guthrie (KY-02) and Ranking Member Frank Pallone Jr., (NJ-06), along with Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chairman John Joyce, M.D. (PA-13) and Ranking Member Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09), and Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade Chairman Gus Bilirakis (FL-12) and Ranking Member Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), sent a letter to National Basketball Association (NBA) Commissioner Adam Silver following the recent announcement that current and former NBA players and coaches have been indicted on charges relating to sports fixing and illegal gambling.

KEY EXCERPT:

These allegations raise serious concerns about sports betting and the integrity of sport in the NBA, which harms fans and legal sports bettors. [...] To assist the Committee in its oversight, we request a briefing by no later than October 31, 2025, that addresses the following:

1. Details about the fraudulent, illegal, and alleged betting practices in connection with NBA players, coaches, and officials, including the actions of NBA players and coaches identified in the recent indictment; as well as prior instances, some of which are identified above.
2. Actions the NBA intends to take to limit the disclosure of nonpublic information for illegal purposes.
3. Whether the NBA's Code of Conduct for players and coaches effectively prohibits illegal activity, including the disclosure of non-public information for the purposes of illegal betting schemes.
4. An explanation of the gaps, if any, in existing regulations that allow illegal betting schemes to occur.
5. Whether and how the NBA is reevaluating the terms of its partnerships with sports betting companies.

BACKGROUND:

• According to the unsealed indictment, current and former NBA players and coaches allegedly used insider information to place or profit from bets on NBA games.
• The federal indictment's allegations of illegal betting span incidents of fraudulent wagering from December 2022 to March 2024 and involve defendants and co-conspirators residing across the United States.
• In 2023, it is alleged that Miami Heat player Terry Rozier left a game early to facilitate a co-conspirator's winning bet, which produced hundreds of thousands of dollars in winnings to be split with Mr. Rozier.
• Another co-conspirator, former NBA player Damon Jones, is alleged to have gained access to non-public information on NBA players and teams, which he then sold to professional gamblers.
• Other unnamed co-conspirators are alleged to have passed along insider information as well, such as which players would not be playing in an upcoming game.
• In 2007, former NBA referee Tim Donaghy pleaded guilty to federal charges for using insider information to bet on games he officiated. Last year, Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter was banned from the NBA for life after pleading guilty to wire fraud conspiracy due to his involvement in a sports betting scandal.

CLICK HERE to read the full letter.

CLICK HERE to read ESPN's exclusive coverage of the letter.