State Champ Radio gambling
Trending on Billboard Drake and online streamer Adin Ross are facing a class action lawsuit accusing them of promoting illegal gambling by endorsing the online sweepstake casino Stake. In a case filed Monday (Oct. 27), lawyers for a Missouri man say Drake, Ross and Stake engaged in “deceptive, fraudulent and unfair” practices in the state […]
Gilbert Arenas defintiely earned one of his nicknames after going full troll after the arrests of Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier in connection with an NBA gambling investigation. After Gilbert Arenas himself had a similar brush with the law, the former NBA player and current broadcaster had a little fun with the news by framing himself as an informant.
Taking to social media, Gilbert Arenas, 43, shared a photo of himself carrying a so-called “informant lunch” wearing a University of Washington Huskies basketball jersey, which some might remember from the film The 6th Man starring Marlon Wayans and Kadeem Hardison.
On a Thursday airing of Gil’s Arena, the former Washington Wizards All-Star leaned into the snitch allegations but also raised a fair point that, despite the NBA revealing that the gambling operation that landed Billups and Rozier in hot water was reportedly connected to the Mafia, only Black people are making the headlines.
As we reported earlier this year, Arenas was implicated in a gambling ring operating out of his Encino, Calif. home with involvement from members of an Israeli crime mob. Arenas posted a $50,000 bond in July. Just as he’s doing now, Arenas played up the arrest and his going free with a hilarious video of him being sprung from the joint.
The claims that Billups and Rozier are facing are still developing in the news. Adding to this, former Cleveland Cavaliers player and coach Damon Jones was also arrested in a separate but related case that also has ties to the Mafia.
On social media, the jokes have been flying after the NBA’s gambling arrest spree. We’ve got reactions below.
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Photo: Getty
Source: Jacopo Raule / Getty
Fresh off her record-breaking sophomore album, Am I The Drama?, Cardi B is having some fun with her “play dough” as she just bet a King Kong-sized grip on the upcoming UFC 321 Main Event.
According to Bloodyelbow.com, the Grammy award-winning rapper just put down a staggering $250,000 on the current Interim UFC Heavyweight Champion Tom Aspinall to successfully defend his title against Ciryl Gane on Saturday (Oct. 25) in Abu Dhabi.
While we’re used to seeing and hearing about male rappers placing bets this size on fights and other sporting events, you rarely hear (if ever) about female celebrities indulging in such betting practices. Then again, Cardi B is from the Bronx and is as raunchy and outspoken as any man alive, so this shouldn’t be as surprising as it seems.
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Still, she needs some things to break her way before she can walk away with some more pocket change for her Hermés bags.
Per Bloodyelbow:
First, the Grammy-winning recording artist needs Tom Aspinall to beat Ciryl Gane on Saturday night.
The king of UFC heavyweights has blitzed through opponents with quick wins throughout his run in MMA’s premier promotion, but any form of victory will do for Cardi B.
If Aspinall delivers, Cardi B will be waiting on the result of Jake Paul’s exhibition bout with Gervonta Davis.
Once again, no knockout is needed, but ‘Tank’ must beat the YouTuber-turned-boxer on November 14.
If Aspinall and Davis both win their upcoming fights, Cardi B’s bet will pay out $460,000.
Imagine putting up $250,000 on a sporting event like it’s no thang. Can’t even be mad. She really worked her ass off to get this far in life (both literally and figuratively).
What do y’all think about Cardi B putting down this kind of cash on a UFC event? Let us know in the comments section below.
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Photo: Getty
Drake is getting candid about his recent gambling misfortunes.
On Wednesday (June 18), the 38-year-old rap superstar took to social media to reveal the millions he’s lost through sports betting over the past month.
“Gotta share the other side of gambling…,” Drake wrote on his Instagram Story alongside a screenshot of his hefty losses. “Losses are so fried right now I hope I can post a big win for you all soon cause I’m the only one that has never seen a max these guys max once a week.”
According to the post, the Toronto MC placed nearly $125 million in bets over the past month, resulting in about $8 million in losses. While Drake didn’t detail which specific wagers led to the downturn, recent NBA and NHL playoff games have dominated the sports betting scene.
Earlier this month, he revealed a $750,000 bet on a cricket match, backing the Royal Challengers Bengaluru to beat the Punjab Kings. The post, which tagged gambling platform Stake — with whom Drake has an endorsement deal — is just one of many high-stakes wagers he’s publicly shared.
Trending on Billboard
This isn’t the first time the OVO boss has taken a major hit. Earlier this year, Drake bet $1.25 million on the Toronto Maple Leafs to win game seven and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals — only for the NHL team to fall to the Florida Panthers.
“I am a flawed sports better,” he recently admitted in a mock interview on Instagram this while promoting his partnership with Stake. “I will not deny that. That’s not my gift. I’ll let everybody roll with it. I’m sure if you’re a Drake curse believer, there will be plenty more content in the future to confirm your theories because my slips do not cash out. But one day I’m gonna have a parlay that’s insane.”
Despite the recent losses, Drake isn’t backing down. In another IG Story post on Wednesday, he revealed an $800,000 bet on game six of the 2025 NBA Finals. With the Oklahoma City Thunder leading the series over the Indiana Pacers, Drizzy placed $600,000 on a Thunder win and another $200,000 on them winning by a 6–10 point margin. If both bets hit, his total payout would be an estimated $1.7 million.
In music news, Drake is rumored to be working on a new album, reportedly titled Iceman, which many fans expect to drop before the end of 2025. While the rap star hasn’t confirmed or denied any details about the project, fellow artist Smiley recently hinted that Drake has been putting in serious work on something new.
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Source: Xinhua News Agency / Getty / Jontay Porter
Jontay Porter f***ed around and found out. The now-former two-way player for the Toronto Raptors gambled his money and his NBA career away.
NBA.com dropped the news yesterday that Jontay Porter, brother of Denver Nuggets superstar Michael Porter Jr., has been slapped with a lifetime ban for violating the league’s gaming rules.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver came down with the hammer on Porter after the league wrapped its investigation and discovering he “disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, limiting his own participation in one or more games for betting purposes, and betting on NBA games,” the website reports.
Per NBA.com:
The league’s investigation found that prior to the Raptors’ March 20 game, Porter disclosed confidential information about his own health status to an individual he knew to be an NBA bettor. Another individual with whom Porter associated and knew to be an NBA bettor subsequently placed an $80,000 parlay proposition bet with an online sports book, to win $1.1 million, wagering that Porter would underperform in the March 20 game.
The league’s investigation also found that Porter limited his own game participation to influence the outcome of one or more bets on his performance in at least one Raptors game. In the March 20 game, Porter played only three minutes, claiming that he felt ill. Due to the unusual betting activity and actions of the player, the $80,000 proposition bet was frozen and not paid out.
Jontay Porter Bet On Himself & Lost Big Time
The bets Porter made that involved his performance in the Raptors’ March 20 game were brought to the league’s attention by licensed sports betting operators and an organization that monitors legal betting markets.
Bruh
The website notes that Porter placed 13 bets from January through March 2024 while traveling with the Raptors and Raptors 905, the Raptors’ G-League affiliate. None of the bets were made on games he played in.
Adam Silver Issues A Statement
“There is nothing more important than protecting the integrity of NBA competition for our fans, our teams and everyone associated with our sport, which is why Jontay Porter’s blatant violations of our gaming rules are being met with the most severe punishment. While legal sports betting creates transparency that helps identify suspicious or abnormal activity, this matter also raises important issues about the sufficiency of the regulatory framework currently in place, including the types of bets offered on our games and players. Working closely with all relevant stakeholders across the industry, we will continue to work diligently to safeguard our league and game.”
Welp.
Of course, social media has been lighting Porter’s a** up. There are also some wild takes, which you can see in the gallery below.
3. One way ticket out of here
4. L M A O
5. Hoooowwwllliiinnnggg
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Source: Xinhua News Agency / Getty
It looks like Jontay Porter might have to explain his performance on the court. The NBA is investigating him over gambling activity connected to his play.
The Score is reporting that the Toronto Raptors player is now at the center of a new probe being conducted by the National Basketball Association. According to ESPN the league has identified multiple betting irregularities over the last couple of months that are linked to him. Proposition bets, better known as prop bets, are wagers not tied to the final outcome or score of a game but outcomes within the game including will a certain player surpass the over under for points.
The occurrences specifically under questioning are two games. On January 26 against the Los Angeles Clippers his props were set to 5.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and assists. That outing he only played a little over four minutes before leaving due to a nagging eye injury. On March 20 against the Sacramento Kings he only played two minutes before excusing himself to an illness. That day he only put up two rebounds but his prop bets were set at 7.5 points and 5.5 rebounds. After those games DraftKings Sportsbook announced that Jontay Porter had produced the most winnings compared to the previous night.
“We have no comment on this story,” a DraftKings spokesman said in a statement to The Athletic. “In general, it is important to note that one of the many benefits of legal and regulated sports betting is that sports betting operators identify and report suspicious activity and the integrity of sport is therefore protected in a manner that does not exist in the illegal market.” The Toronto Raptors have declined to comment on the matter while an NBA spokesperson has told ESPN “We’re looking into it.”
Jontay Porter has not suited up for the Raptors in the last two games citing personal reasons. The NBA forbids players, officials and employees from making wagers on the league.
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Source: Jason Armond / Getty / Shohei Ohtani
Shohei Ohtani is doubling down on being hoodwinked, bamboozled, and led astray by his interpreter in this ongoing and still developing gambling scandal.
The Los Angeles Dodgers’ $700 million man, Shohei Ohtani, wants the world to know he did not bet on baseball or any other sport and that his translator, Ippei Mizuhara, lied and stole more than $4 million to cover his gambling debts.
Spotted on Yahoo! Sports, Ohtani finally broke his silence with a nearly 12-minute statement on the matter after Mizuhara was fired as his translator following accusations he stole money from the MLB superstar via wire transfers.
Per Yahoo! Sports:
“I am very saddened and shocked someone I trusted has done this,” Ohtani said through an interpreter at the beginning of his statement. He then denied being involved in sports gambling in any form.
“I never bet on baseball or any other sports or never have asked somebody to do that on my behalf,” he said. “And I have never been through a bookmaker to bet on sports. …
“Up until a couple days ago, I didn’t know that this was happening. … In conclusion, Ippei has been stealing money from my account and has told lies.”
Ohtani also denied knowingly paying off any alleged gambling debts.
“To the representatives in my camp, Ippei told the media and representatives that I, on behalf of a friend, paid off debt,” he said. “Upon further questioning, it was revealed that it was actually in fact Ippei who was in debt and told my representatives that I was paying off those debts.
“All of this has been a complete lie.”
Shohei Ohtani Claims He Had No Idea About His Interpretrer’s Gambling Issues
Ohtani also claims that Mizhura was telling a big lie when he told the Dodgers organization that he was in communication with Ohtani about the incident.
The slugger/pitcher claims he first learned about his interpreter’s gambling issues during a team meeting after the Dodgers played the San Diego Padres in South Korea.
Ohtani claims he and Mizhura had a “one-on-one” meeting at their hotel.
“Up until that team meeting, I didn’t know that Ippei had a gambling addiction and was in debt,” Ohtani said. “Obviously, I never agreed to pay off the debt or make payments to the bookmaker.”
“And it was revealed to me during that meeting, Ippei admitted he was sending money using my account to the bookmaker,” he said. “And at that moment, it was an absurd thing that was happening, and I contacted my representatives at that point.”
People Are Still Skeptical
Ohtani is adamant he did not bet on MLB or any sports, but many people are calling it a cap on the idea that he had no idea about the $4 million wire transfers.
ESPN First Take contributor and sports talk radio legend Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo does not buy what Ohtani is selling outright. On his show, he believes that Ohtani’s interpreter stole the money and that the Dodgers’ superstar is guilty of being a “good friend and some poor judgement.”
We are intrigued to see how this situation pans out. The MLB is currently investigating. Until then, you can see more reactions in the gallery below.
1. Very unserious
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