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The Malta Gaming Authority (MGA) has warned consumers about false claims about gambling licenses.
The MGA has published a notice, warning consumers about a list of sites claiming to have connections with the authority or false licenses from it. The organization has emphasized that any reference to the MGA or gaming licences said to be issued by the MGA from the listed websites is “false and misleading”.
The websites in question are:

immediate-connect.co.uk
pangagames.com
casino1bet.online
palmsbet1.com
flexiblesport.com
casino-europa.eu

Any links or claims to licenses from the MGA should be discounted from any of the above sites. That likely means they are operating gambling services in the country illegally.
“The MGA would like to remind consumers not to utilise services provided by an entity unless they have ascertained that the entity in question is authorised to provide such services by the MGA,” reads the statement from the gambling authority. “The gaming regulatory framework obliges authorised persons to comply with strict legal requirements in the interest of consumers.
“The activities of unlicensed entities are unregulated and do not provide the necessary safeguards delineated by virtue of the framework, making transactions with such entities risky for consumers.”
The MGA has also shared a list of licensed entities for consumers to browse here.
This comes after we reported on the Filipino online casino PHLove, which claimed it was licensed by the Maltese authority. The MGA said in a press release that it had “no connection” to the site, along with the usual warnings you see about unlicensed operators.
Malta’s regulator denied links to PHLove. Credit: PHLove / MGA
But when we looked through each commission’s public lists and databases, we couldn’t find any evidence that PHLove was licensed by any of them. After our report, the Philippines based watchdog PAGCOR said it had begun investigating the site. Despite this, at the time of writing, the site continues to claim that it is licensed by the authorities.
PHLove promotes itself as regulated by several international gaming authorities. Credit: PHLove
Why is it important to use licensed operators?
Gamblers should always take every step possible to ensure they’re using licensed operators to protect both themselves and others. Illegal gambling operators don’t have to take the same regulatory steps to protect users from gambling-related harm, or to safeguard any funds they’re holding for users.
This can leave gamblers vulnerable to theft, fraud, or any number of connected crimes. It could also result in the loss of personal information or financial data in some cases.
ReadWrite has reached out to the MGA for comment.
Featured image: Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
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Federal prosecutors have shared new details about what they say was a nationwide gambling ring involving NBA figures Terry Rozier, Chauncey Billups, and Damon Jones. In a detention letter filed in federal court, they describe advanced cheating technology, the use of former NBA pro athletes to draw in victims, real time coaching during games, and a money trail that allegedly sent $50,000 to Billups after a rigged poker game in 2020.
FBI Director Kash Patel announced the charges during an October 23 news conference in New York, calling the arrests “historic” and tying the operation to La Cosa Nostra. United States Attorney Joseph Nocella said the conduct amounted to “one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since online sports betting became widely legalized,” alleging that confidential NBA information was misused and that victims lost millions in fixed poker games.
NBA stars’ alleged role in rigged poker games and high-tech cheating
According to the detention letter, as reviewed by ReadWrite, the gambling scheme depended on a range of hidden technologies. Besides altered shuffling machines and X-ray poker tables, prosecutors said the conspirators also used a poker chip tray analyzer that secretly read cards with hidden cameras.
Photos showing a poker table setup and a camera feed capturing card information. Credit: United States v. Ernest Aiello, et al. Criminal Docket
The modified machines were designed to read cards in real time and send that information to operators who were not on site. The letter says the shufflers were altered to “read the cards in the deck, predict which player at the table had the best poker hand, and relay that information via interstate wires to an off site operator.” The operator would then message a player at the table known as the Quarterback, who would signal the rest of the cheating team.
‘Signal book’ for real-time cheating
One poker game in Miami in September 2024 even came with a clear list of physical signals that was shared beforehand.
Message listing poker signal codes, as displayed in a chat from September 2024. Credit: United States v. Ernest Aiello, et al. Criminal Docket
As the document explains: “For example, the above text message indicated that if defendant RENZULLI (Mikey) had the best hand, the Quarterback (in this case, MAZZOLA) would touch the 1,000 poker chip; if defendant ALVAREZ (G) had the best hand, the Quarterback would tap his chin; if defendant MAZZOLA (Mazz) had the best hand, he would tap his wrist or arm. If the victim had the best hand, the Quarterback would touch his black chips, in which case the conspirators would fold to avoid losing money to the victim.”
Face Cards
Heat guard Terry Rozier, Portland Trail Blazers Chauncey Billups, and Damon Jones were all arrested as part of the FBI probe. Credit: Keith Allison from Hanover, MD, USA / CC BY-SA 2.0
The government says former NBA players were brought in to help lure wealthy victims into these games. According to the letter, “BILLUPS and JONES, in particular, served as Face Cards, meaning they were utilized to attract victims to the games because of their status as former professional athletes.”
Alleged wire trail to Chauncey Billups
Prosecutors also laid out a money trail they say followed a 2020 game that involved Billups. They wrote: “Following another rigged game in late October 2020 in which BILLUPS participated, bank records show that STROUD (through his company Lil Robbie Productions LLC) wired WEI 50,000 dollars, who, in turn, wired the 50,000 dollars directly to BILLUPS.”

Statement from Chauncey Billups’ attorney to ESPN, making clear that Billups, like Terry Rozier, will fight the FBI’s charges: pic.twitter.com/YCugGaXiiZ
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 24, 2025

In a statement sent to ESPN, Chris Heywood, an attorney for Billups, stressed that Billups would never “cheat and defraud others.”
“Anyone who knows Chauncey Billups knows he is a man of integrity; men of integrity do not cheat and defraud others.
“To believe that Chauncey Billups did what the federal government is accusing him of is to believe that he would risk his hall-of-fame legacy, his reputation, and his freedom. He would not jeopardize those things for anything, let alone a card game.
“Furthermore, Chauncey Billups has never and would never gamble on basketball games, provide insider information, or sacrifice the trust of his team and the League, as it would tarnish the game he has devoted his entire life to.
“Chauncey Billups has never backed down. He does not plan to do so now. He will fight these allegations with the same tenacity that marked his 28-year career. We look forward to our day in court.”
Claims about Damon Jones’ role
Damon Jones, another former NBA player, is portrayed as both a recruiter and an active cheater. Prosecutors say that before a rigged game in East Hampton, “defendant JONES asked STROUD for payment even before the game started… STROUD sent 2,500 dollars to JONES via Zelle the same day.”
Message requesting an advance payment, shown in a September 2023 chat. Credit: United States v. Ernest Aiello, et al. Criminal Docket
A few days later, during the same stretch of games, Jones was getting instructions while he played. The document says: “Messages show that defendant GOODSON (Tony in Macon) coached JONES in real time on how to cheat by instructing him to pay attention to defendants AWAWDEH (whom he likened to NBA All Star Stephen Steph Curry) and GARZON (whom he compared to NBA All Star Lebron Bron James), and, in case of doubt, to fold his hand.” Jones responded: “yall know I know what Im doing!!”
The detention letter also links the operation to the Bonanno, Gambino, and Genovese crime families. Prosecutors wrote that several of the locations used for poker games were already known to be connected to organized crime groups and that those groups “took a percentage of the criminal proceeds” from the rigged games.
According to Nocella, the operation began in 2019 and spanned locations from the Hamptons to Las Vegas, Miami, and Manhattan. He said the NBA is cooperating with the investigation.
ReadWrite has contacted the legal representatives for Chauncey Billups and Damon Jones for comment.
Featured image: Canva
The post Signals, face cards, rigged poker games, and wire trails reveal new NBA scandal details appeared first on ReadWrite.

Americans are gambling more than ever in 2025, with a rising interest in sports betting and casinos.
The American Gaming Association (AGA) has shared new research that shows Americans have been gambling more than ever over the last twelve months. That’s driven by a rising interest in both sports betting and casinos.
Specifically, polling shows that 57% of people in America participated in some form of gambling in the past year, with 30% gambling at a physical casino and 21% placing a sports bet. In terms of real numbers, 134 million American adults visited a casino for gambling or other entertainment purposes in the same time period. That’s the highest level of casino visitation on record.
“These results underscore a sustainable foundation for the American gaming industry, reflecting strong consumer confidence in a state-regulated market as a safe and trusted form of entertainment,” said AGA President and CEO Bill Miller.
Shifting attitudes towards gambling among Americans
It’s not just a rising interest in gambling, but also shifting perspectives from the American public. The AGA reports a “record level of engagement”, as nine in ten Americans find casino gambling acceptable for either themselves or others. Moreover, nearly two-thirds of Americans now find gambling to be personally acceptable.
Nearly three-quarters of Americans also support legal, regulated sports betting in their state, with bipartisan approval in general. 78% view sports betting as a form of entertainment. This comes at an interesting time for the industry, when companies like prediction markets are pushing into the world of sports betting.
With more and more operators offering sports betting or adjacent services, it’s also worth noting that 90% of iGaming consumers list legality as an important factor when deciding where to play. Despite that, more than 40% of gamblers have difficulty identifying legal platforms. The AGA highlighted this point as a sign that its efforts to promote responsible gambling are as important as ever.
“We will continue to build on this momentum by expanding the legal market, strengthening responsibility, and ensuring gaming delivers for players and communities alike,” said Miller.
Earlier this year, the AGA found that nearly one-third of the US market consisted of illicit gaming, with the June report revealing that 74% of the market’s revenue was directed to offshore platforms.
Featured image: Pexels
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