NEW YORK (AFP) — The National Basketball Association (NBA) is reviewing league policies to ensure players know gambling’s “dire risks” according to a league memo reportedly sent to teams Monday in the wake of a betting scandal.
The memo, obtained and revealed by ESPN, came four days after Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents arrested Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland head coach Chauncey Billups among others as part of a sports gambling and betting investigation.
Both were put on administrative leave by the NBA and each has denied wrongdoing through lawyers.
The league said in the memo it had started “reviewing league policies regarding injury reporting, the training and education of all NBA personnel, and safety measures for NBA players,” according to the ESPN report.
“With sports betting now occupying such a significant part of the current sports landscape, every effort must be made to ensure that players, coaches and other NBA personnel are fully aware of the dire risks that gambling can impose upon their careers and livelihoods; that our injury disclosure rules are appropriate; and that players are protected from harassment from bettors.”
The review will include looking at how artificial intelligence and other tools can help detect improper activities.
“We are also exploring ways to enhance our existing internal and external integrity monitoring programs to better utilize AI and other tools to synthesize all available data from betting operators, social media, and other sources to identify betting activity of concern,” the NBA said.