The plea is a major turn in one of the most serious gambling-related cases to touch the NBA in years. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York said in its Damon Jones guilty plea announcement that the combined loss amount in the two cases totals more than $10 million.
Damon Jones guilty plea turns a sprawling probe into an admission
Jones, 49, admitted guilt in two separate federal cases: one involving the alleged use of inside NBA information to place fraudulent sports wagers, and another involving rigged illegal poker games. The former Cleveland Cavaliers player and later assistant coach also served on the coaching staffs of the Cavaliers and Los Angeles Lakers, prosecutors said.
According to The Associated Press, Jones is scheduled for sentencing Jan. 6, 2027. Sentencing guidelines call for 21 to 27 months in the sports betting case, while the poker case carries a higher guideline range that could be reduced because of his early plea.
In court, Jones apologized to the NBA, his family and his peers. Prosecutors said he acknowledged that he misused information obtained through NBA relationships and that he knew some poker games were rigged.
How prosecutors say the NBA betting scheme worked
The sports betting case centered on nonpublic information about upcoming NBA games, including player injuries and lineup decisions. Prosecutors said bettors used that information to place wagers through online sportsbooks and retail betting outlets while concealing that the bets were based on confidential team information.
The allegations against Jones and others were first detailed in an October 2025 sports betting indictment that charged six defendants, including Jones and former Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier. The indictment alleged that the conspiracy ran from December 2022 to March 2024 and involved wagers tied to information from NBA players and coaches.
Prosecutors said Jones shared or sold information about Los Angeles Lakers games, including pre-release medical information involving star players, so co-conspirators could place wagers before the information became public.
Rigged poker games expanded the case beyond basketball
The poker case widened the scandal beyond sports betting. Prosecutors said the games were secretly rigged using wireless cheating technology and involved game organizers, cheating teams, money launderers and alleged members or associates of the Bonanno, Gambino and Genovese organized crime families.
That part of the case was introduced publicly through an October 2025 poker fraud indictment charging 31 defendants, including Jones and Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups. Jones later admitted that he acted as a “Face Card,” a term prosecutors used for former professional athletes recruited to attract victims to rigged poker games.
The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty. Jones’ plea, however, gives prosecutors their first admission of criminal conduct from a defendant tied to both the betting and poker sides of the investigation.
Why the case hits the NBA at a sensitive moment
The Damon Jones case follows a recent series of gambling integrity concerns for the league. In April 2024, the NBA banned Jontay Porter after a league investigation found that he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, limited his own participation in one or more games for betting purposes and bet on NBA games.
That earlier scandal made clear how quickly player availability, injury information and prop betting could create integrity risks. The Jones plea deepens that concern because prosecutors say the fraud reached beyond one player’s conduct and included a broader network of bettors, insiders and organizers.
The case also shows how modern sports betting investigations can overlap with older forms of gambling fraud. What began as concerns about inside NBA information now includes allegations of high-stakes poker games, organized crime ties and millions in losses.
What comes next for Damon Jones and the wider case
Jones remains a central cooperating figure as the federal cases continue. His sentencing will determine how much weight the court gives his early plea, admitted conduct and any restitution obligations.
For the NBA, the case is not just about one former player. It raises a larger question about how leagues, sportsbooks and law enforcement can protect confidential team information in a betting market where small details can move large sums of money.
The Damon Jones guilty plea does not close the investigation, but it gives prosecutors their first major conviction path in a case that has connected basketball access, illegal wagering and rigged poker into one of the most closely watched sports fraud prosecutions in recent years.
