• 12% of Americans think that NBA players and coaches are involved in illegal activities to influence betting
• 29% of Americans think that players missing shots or rebounds on purpose or faking injuries to influence bets is a common illegal sports betting tactic

A Quinnipiac University Sports Poll of adults nationwide says that one-third (33%) of those surveyed think that NBA players and coaches are either very often or somewhat often involved in illegal activities to influence betting on NBA games.

General view of the arena prior to the game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Houston Rockets at Paycom Center in Oklahoma in October. Photo by William Purnell/Getty Images.

The study was released in light of a current FBI investigation into the manipulation of an NBA game for betting purposes by a current player and an illegal poker operation involving a current NBA coach and former player.

According to the Quinnipiac survey, 12% of Americans think that players and coaches are very often involved in illegal activities to influence betting on NBA games, with 21%  saying somewhat often. Sixty-six per cent think NBA players and coaches are either occasionally (43%) or rarely (23%) involved in illegal activities to influence betting on NBA games.

Perception Problem

Last month the FBI announced indictments naming more than 30 defendants who allegedly were involved in an unlawful sports betting and gambling operation. Terry Rozier of the Miami Heat has been accused of pulling himself out of a game in March 2023 while he was a member of the Charlotte Hornets so a circle of bettors he was associated with could cash in on prop bets around him.

On the poker side, current Portland Trailblazers coach and NBA Hall of Famer Chauncey Billups as well as former NBA player Damon Jones were arrested in an alleged illegal poker operation that included involvement of several New York crime families.

Bipartisan leaders of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce have sent a letter to NBA Commissioner Adam Silver asking to him to appear before a Congressional panel to answer questions about the indictments and what the NBA is doing to combat such alleged illegal activity.

NBA Games Not Played Fairly?

Nearly seven out of ten Americans (68%) think involvement of NBA players and coaches in illegal sports betting is either a major problem (32%) or not a major problem (36%), while 30% think it’s either a minor problem (20%) or not a problem (10%).

The poll also said 48% of people surveyed are either not so confident or not at all confident that NBA games are played fairly.

Players missing shots or rebounds on purpose or faking injuries to influence bets is a common illegal sports betting tactic (9% of those surveyed think this happens very often, or somewhat often, at 20%), while 69% think it happens occasionally (41%) or rarely if ever (29%).

Twenty eight per cent think that coaches making roster decisions to influence bets happens very often (8%) or somewhat often (20%), with 38% saying it happens occasionally and 33% saying rarely if ever.

Inside Information Leaked

Those surveyed were also asked about inside confidential information about NBA player availability being leaked for the purposes of influencing bets, with 15% saying that happens very often and 30 percent saying somewhat often, 39% saying that it occasionally happens and 14% saying rarely if ever.

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