Former NBA star and podcast host Gilbert Arenas insists he didn’t give authorities any information leading to the recent gambling-related arrests.
Authorities arrested Arenas in June for allegedly running illegal high-stakes poker games in Los Angeles. However, he said he was not involved in the case against Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups. Authorities accused Billups of helping operate rigged poker games to scam high-stakes gamblers out of millions.
Arenas stoked speculation about his involvement after carrying a bag on his podcast labeled “Informant Lunch.” The former Washington Wizard even tweeted a photo of himself with the bag.
“I didn’t get to eat it over there, I was talking too much,” Arenas joked on his podcast. “The Blazers wasn’t going to win anyway, the last thing they needed was their coach!”
The troll led some to believe he may have spilled the beans on the rigged poker games. Those games reportedly used professional athletes to lure in and cheat opponents. But Arenas denied snitching on the scheme or any involvement in the years-long investigation.
“This is one thing I do: troll,” he said. “Tell on somebody? I don’t do that.”
Separate Poker-Related Charges
Arenas allegedly ran high-stakes games from September 2021 through July 2022. Prosecutors charged him with one count of conspiracy to operate an illegal gambling business, one count of operating an illegal gambling business, and one count of making false statements to federal investigators.
The games appear void of any cheating, nor were they a part of the games Billups was involved with. The FBI arrests included arrests included both sports betting schemes and rigged poker games, both backed by New York mafia families.
Authorities arrested Miami Heat point guard Terry Rozier for alleged involvement in the sports betting ring. They arrested former NBA journeyman and current Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach Damon Jones for involvement in both schemes.
According to The Daily Mail, Arenas denied any involvement in those cases. Authorities accused Arenas of using his mansion to run games. His games even featured a specifically-designed poker table for “Arenas Poker Club” that included an image of the 43-year-old in a basketball uniform.
“Come on, man, why y’all putting me in something like this?” he said of the recent cases. “This is a whole different level.”
