ESPN report sheds light on unusual betting activity surrounding Heat's Terry Rozier in 2023 game

Miami Herald

13 hours ago

As federal prosecutors continue to investigate whether Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier manipulated his performance as part of an illegal sports betting scheme, additional details surrounding the Rozier case have been made public.
A report by ESPN on Friday shed light on the unusual wagering activity under scrutiny, noting that 'a professional bettor placed 30 wagers in 46 minutes, all involving Terry Rozier in a 2023 NBA game.'
'On the morning of March 23, 2023, a bettor at a sportsbook in Biloxi, Mississippi, placed $13,759 in bets on the unders on Rozier's statistics in a game that night between the Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans,' according to the documents, which ESPN acquired through an open records request. All 30 bets won, after Rozier, an eight-year veteran with the Hornets at the time, exited 10 minutes into the game, citing a foot issue.
'The bettor in Biloxi placed the bets at Harrah's Gulf Coast on the under on Rozier's points, rebounds and assists, according to a list of wagers included in the documents. The largest bet, a $2,700 wager on under 5.5 rebounds for Rozier, was made over the counter, using a casino player's card. The other 29 bets were placed on a self-serve betting kiosk, a few hundred dollars at a time, beginning at 9:37 a.m., before the sportsbook counter was open, according to the records.
'Harrah's Gulf Coast [Caesars] initially refused to pay the gambler's winning tickets, citing a house rule on 'rigging' and suspicion of 'inside information,'' according to emails from the sportsbook to regulators obtained by ESPN. The casino asked the Mississippi Gaming Commission for permission to void the bets entirely.
'A week later, on April 12, a Caesars representative informed the commission in an email that it was settling the wagers on Rozier. The bettor won a net $13,017.70.'
'Sources told ESPN that multiple sportsbooks in New Orleans also received heavier-than-expected action on the under on Rozier props, starting in the morning and lasting until mid-afternoon. At 2:24 p.m. the day of the game, U.S. Integrity sent a nationwide alert about 'Suspicious Wagering Terry Rozier NBA Player Props,' according to documents ESPN obtained through another open records request.
'Most prominent sportsbooks halted betting on Rozier props within an hour of the U.S. Integrity alert, according to an archived odds feed from betting analytics site Unabated.com.'
The game being looked at by federal investigators came on March 23, 2023, when Rozier was a member of the Charlotte Hornets.
Rozier totaled five points on 2-of-4 shooting from the field and 1-of-3 shooting on threes, four rebounds, two assists and one steal in 9:34 before leaving the Hornets' loss to the Pelicans early with a foot injury despite not being listed on the injury report prior to that March 2023 contest. He didn't play again that season.
Rozier hasn't yet been charged with a crime or accused of wrongdoing. The NBA already conducted an investigation and did not find a violation of NBA rules.
The Heat declined to comment Friday regarding the latest details on the unusual betting activity surrounding Rozier in that March 23, 2023 game. In addition, a representative for Rozier was unable to be reached for comment.
'In March 2023, the NBA was alerted to unusual betting activity related to Terry Rozier's performance in a game between Charlotte and New Orleans,' NBA spokesman Mike Bass said when the federal investigation into Rozier was made public in late January. 'The league conducted an investigation and did not find a violation of NBA rules. We are now aware of an investigation by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York related to this matter and have been cooperating with that investigation.'
Rozier's attorney, Jim Trusty, told ESPN that 'while the federal probe remains ongoing, his client is not a target of the investigation.'
'It's unfortunate that he's a big name in sports and is having to endure all this,' Trusty said ESPN. 'My hope and expectation is that at some point that they'll be done with their investigation and will be professional enough to let us know that it's 100% over and that they reached the same conclusion that was reached in 2023.'
The investigation into Rozier is part of a larger government probe that led to a criminal charge and lifetime ban from the NBA for former Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter.
ESPN reported last month that federal authorities are also investigating guard Malik Beasley on allegations of gambling related to NBA games and prop bets. Beasley spent last season with the Detroit Pistons and is a free agent this offseason.
Rozier, 31, is on an expiring contract this upcoming season, with $24.9 million of his $26.6 million salary for next season already guaranteed.
Unlike team-issued suspensions that don't translate into salary-cap relief, an NBA suspension of Rozier would give the Heat salary-cap and luxury-tax relief (but not relief toward the aprons) of 50% of the salary lost during a suspension. Being expelled from the NBA would completely remove Rozier's salary from the Heat's payroll.
Rozier averaged 10.6 points per game on 39.1% shooting from the field and 29.5% shooting from three-point range in 64 appearances last regular season with the Heat for one of the worst years of his NBA career. That's the fewest points he has averaged and the worst field-goal percentage he has recorded in a season since his fourth NBA season in 2018-19, with Rozier's three-point percentage his worst for a season since his rookie year in 2015-16.
The Heat traded Kyle Lowry's $29.7 million expiring contract and a first-round pick to the Hornets to land Rozier in the middle of the 2023-24 season.