The FBI had its eyes set on NBA personalities tied to gambling, and Terry Rozier was one of the first to be arrested. Last month, he was taken into custody for allegedly being involved in illegal gambling and betting schemes that leaked sensitive information outside relevant circles. Not many have found reasons to back him since, but the ex-Miami Heat man has now found some support.
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Mikki Mase, a famous yet controversial figure in the gambling community, who’s been banned from casinos for being “too successful”, has come out to defend Rozier. In an interview with VladTV, the insider confidently explained why.
The host spoke about Rozier affecting the outcome of bets and took a trip down memory lane to 2023, when companies from multiple states noticed suspicious betting based on Rozier’s stats. He recalled absurd surges, such as 30 wagers in 46 minutes. These bets involved all kinds of stats, including points, rebounds, and assists.
Things got so extreme that many companies had to shut down those bets altogether. In the following game, Rozier left after just 10 minutes, which affected all those wagers. As far as Mase is concerned, however, this is not a sign of guilt.
“I don’t even think that’s peculiar,” Mase added. “So, it’s not impossible to… have a hunch. How many of us even know NBA players?”
Mase added that before games, rumors spread. A player could or could not be injured or sick, but no one knows that for certain. Still, the word spreads and people risk their money. Plus, the gambling insider feels that $14,000 the betting scheme that Rosier was allegedly part of, is nothing.
“Imagine everything that all of these people have on the line, and they could only wager $14K… I know it got shut down or whatever, but that’s also not peculiar. So, a lot of sports books, their job is, they want money on the A side of the bet and the B side of the bet, and they take a wig in the middle…”
“They might not have said it was so suspicious we shut it down; they just said we don’t have enough money on the other side,” Mase continued. “We don’t want the exposure of 14,000… I don’t think that’s an admission of guilt at all.”
In Mase’s eyes, Rozier may be innocent, but there are some absurd moments from games over the years that are currently under investigation. For instance, a bizarre incident from a Hornets-Pelicans game surfaced in which Rozier appeared to fake an injury early in the game just to exit. Allegedly, there was $200,000 on the line.
It’s a difficult situation for the league as a whole. And until officially proven innocent, Rozier’s NBA career will be on hold. The Miami Heat won’t pay him his salary either.
