gambling

Former Lakers assistant coach Damon Jones became the first among 34 defendants to plead guilty Tuesday in an expansive gambling indictment that also ensnared Hall of Fame player Chauncey Billups, Miami Heat star Terry Rozier and organized crime figures.

Jones was a Lakers coach in 2022 and 2023, long after he retired from an 11-year NBA playing career with 11 teams. Before a Feb. 9, 2023, game between the Lakers and Milwaukee Bucks in which LeBron James was a late scratch because of a foot injury, evidence showed that Jones urged a co-conspirator to “get a big bet on Milwaukee before the information is out!”

Jones urged his co-conspirator in a text: “Bet enough so Djones can eat to [sic] now!!!”

Jones and James were considered good friends for years. A person close to James told The Times in October that the Lakers star didn’t know that Jones was selling injury information to gamblers placing bets.

Jones had entered not guilty pleas in November to the two counts of conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his role in sports betting and rigged poker game schemes. However, during back-to-back hearings in Brooklyn federal court Tuesday, he entered guilty pleas to those charges.

Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 6 before separate judges in the two cases. Guidelines call for 21 to 27 months in prison for the sports gambling charge and 63 to 78 months for the charge on rigged poker games. Prosecutors said they agreed to shave 15 months from the sentence in exchange for Jones pleading guilty by April 30.

He pleaded guilty in the sports betting case first. In a prepared statement, he acknowledged that he conspired with others to defraud sports betting companies by using “insider information that I obtained as a result of my relationships as a former player.”

Jones, 49, said the goal of the sports betting conspiracy was to use his insider knowledge of injuries to players to make money gambling.

“I would like to sincerely apologize to the court, my family, my peers and also the National Basketball Association,” said Jones, who was paid $21 million as a player.

Next came pleading guilty to participating in rigged poker games. Jones admitted that he was paid to use his NBA celebrity to lure deep-pocketed gamblers to poker games in Miami and New York.

Again reading from a statement, Jones said that, based on conversations with his co-conspirators at poker games, “I knew these games were rigged and that players were being cheated.”

And again he concluded with an apology, addressing the court, his family and friends.

“I’m really sorry to everyone involved for my actions,” he said.

Prosecutors said Monday they would seek additional charges against Rozier in the sports betting case because they had developed evidence that the 10-year NBA veteran solicited a bribe during an alleged gambling scheme.

According to the original indictment, when Rozier played for the Charlotte Hornets in 2023, he told friends he was planning to leave a game early with a “supposed injury,” allowing others to place wagers. Rozier has made $135 million as a player.

Billups, who played with the Clippers for two seasons and later was a member of Clippers coach Ty Lue’s staff before being named head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers in 2021, is charged with rigging underground poker games that authorities said were backed by three of New York’s Mafia families. Billups, who was inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2024, made $107 million as a player.

Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby is entering a residential treatment program for a gambling addiction and will be away from the team indefinitely, he and the Red Raiders announced Monday in a joint statement.

According to ESPN, Sorsby decided to seek treatment after it was discovered he made “thousands of online bets on a variety of sports via a gambling app.”

Multiple media outlets are reporting that Sorsby placed bets on Indiana football to win games during the 2022 season, when he was a redshirt freshman for the Hoosiers. He reportedly did not place bets on the one game in which he participated that season.

“We love Brendan and support his decision to seek professional help,” Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said in a statement. “Taking this step requires courage, and our primary focus is on him as a person. Our program is behind Brendan as he prioritizes his health.”

The team said it would have no further statement on Sorsby’s status or treatment progress at this time.

The NCAA is investigating Sorsby’s gambling, according to multiple media reports.

“Due to confidentiality rules put in place by NCAA member schools, the NCAA will not comment on current, pending or potential investigations,” the NCAA said Monday in a statement released to news organizations.

“However, the NCAA takes sports betting very seriously and is committed to the protection of student-athlete well-being and the integrity of competition. The Assn. works with integrity monitoring services, state regulators and other stakeholders to conduct appropriate due diligence whenever reports are received.”

The most recent NCAA guidelines about sports wagering state that student-athletes who bet on their own games or on other sports at their school could “potentially face permanent loss of collegiate eligibility.” Betting on their sport in games not involving their school could result in “the loss of 50% of one season of eligibility will be considered.”

Other violations could also result in loss of eligibility with the amount of time missed based on the amount of money wagered.

Sorsby spent two seasons at Indiana and two at Cincinnati before transferring to Texas Tech this offseason for his final year of eligibility. He has completed 61.4% of his passes for 7,208 yards with 60 touchdowns and 18 interceptions, and rushed for 1,295 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Cincinnati has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio against Sorsby for allegedly breaching the name, image and likeness contract he signed in July that stated a $1-million buyout would be required within 30 days if he transferred.

On Monday, Sorsby’s attorneys filed a motion to dismiss, stating that “the parties’ contractual intent to pay Mr. Sorsby for playing football was fully realized, and UC’s attempt to now unlawfully penalize Mr. Sorsby for exercising his transfer right under the NCAA’s rules and UC’s efforts to discourage and threaten other players from doing the same thing is invalid as a matter of law.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Published on
23/04/2026 – 16:10 GMT+2

Météo-France has initiated an inquiry to determine whether the meteorological infrastructure managed by them was targeted by individuals seeking to influence prediction markets.

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This development follows reports of highly unusual temperature spikes that triggered significant financial payouts on the blockchain-based site Polymarket, where users place wagers on real-world events.

Investigators are examining if the integrity of the national weather network was breached through physical or digital interference, as the precision of the winning bets suggests the actors involved may have had direct control over the reported data.

Online rumors, which remain unverified for the time being, claim the temperature reading was manipulated by someone using a hair dryer to generate a higher temperature.

Polymarket reportedly settles Paris temperature bets on a single Météo-France sensor sitting near the Charles de Gaulle airport perimeter.

On 6 April, the reading from the sensor abruptly rose 4°C in twelve minutes, crossing the 22°C threshold despite data from other sources showing different figures.

A user on Polymarket aggressively bet on readings above 21°C on that specific day, even though the consensus was lower at 18°C, and profited almost €30,000.

A second similar anomaly occurred on 19 April leading to suspicions that the sensor was tampered with.

Météo-France announced that it has filed a complaint with the Roissy air transport gendarmerie brigade “for [the] alteration of the operation of an automated data processing system,” after an analysis of sensor data.

Polymarket suspended its reliance on the compromised weather data source for Paris, shifting its resolution metric from the sensor in Charles de Gaulle airport to the one in Paris-Le Bourget airport.

However, it did not cancel the contracts or refund the bets, leaving the resolved contracts final, even though on previous occasions it has suspended the resolution of certain bets until further clarification on the rules and circumstances.

Decentralised ‘oracles’ and prediction markets

This incident has reignited the debate over the reliability of the “oracles” that feed data to prediction markets in order to settle bets.

In decentralised finance, an oracle is the mechanism that feeds external, real-world information into a smart contract to determine a financial outcome.

Polymarket relies on these feeds to settle its contracts, often pulling data directly from official government websites. If the primary source of that data is corrupted, the betting market lacks any internal mechanism to verify the truth.

Additionally, the decentralised nature of these platforms makes it difficult to freeze assets even if an investigation identifies the individuals behind suspicious trades.

This is the latest case that highlights a new frontier of white-collar crime, where the manipulation of the physical world is used to exploit the vulnerabilities of automated prediction markets in order to win bets on real-world events.

“LIGHTS out and away we go!”, the famous F1 cry rang out as we were about to take off from Vegas to fly back to London.

It was a nice touch by the Virgin flight attendant and brought an approving chuckle from a plane packed with motorsport fanatics who had just enjoyed one of the most memorable weekends of their lives.

Every year, the streets of Sin City echo to the sound of F1’s elite machines roaring round a 3.8-mile circuit that takes in the iconic Strip and winds round the jaw-dropping Sphere.

Where else in the world is a more ­fitting home for the supercharged glam of the F1 circus?

Petrolheads may not be fans of the circuit for its racing quality, but if you want spectacle, well, this is THE place to be.

Whether you’re in one of the many stands dotted around the Sphere or watching the cars whizz by at 230mph on the Strip, it’s an experience like no other.

WAIL OF A TIME

I drove Irish Route 66 with deserted golden beaches and pirate-like islands

NETHER BETTER

I visited the Amsterdam-alternative city named top destination for 2026

Those with deeper pockets can take pit lane walks and tours of the track.

For most, however, the only way to get a racer’s eye view of the circuit is at the F1 Arcade in Caesars Palace — one of several worldwide — where you can go wheel-to-wheel with your mates as you blast past all the Vegas landmarks.

If you’re lucky enough to be in town for race week, you can down a beer — or a tequila shot — at the Bellagio Hotel’s legend-ary Shoey Bar.

Named in tribute to Aussie driver Danny Ricciardo’s infamous celebration, when he downed champagne from his shoe, the pop-up bar serves drinks in footwear on a terrace overlooking the hotel’s famous fountains.

One of the best track-side points to watch race action is opposite the Sphere, Las Vegas’s enormous ball of fun that’s become a global phenomenon.

On the inside, it’s currently showing a specially adapted version of The Wizard Of Oz on its 160,000sq ft screen that makes you feel like you’re IN the movie.

As well as the expected special effects like blasts of wind when the hurricane blows in, there are animatronic flying monkeys, apples falling from the ceiling and flurries of snow.

With tickets from $104 (£78), it’s booking until the end of 2026, so there’s plenty of time for you to become the fifth member of Dorothy’s gang of misfits.

Away from the Sphere, another Vegas institution is the gravity-defying Cirque du Soleil — and there are six resident productions to choose from.

Of these, I recommend “O”. It has all the death-defying acrobatics, but with a £100million stage that transforms into a 25ft deep pool in seconds.

With a daredevil cast featuring former Olympic athletes, it’s just another way for Vegas to take your breath away.

For a classy dinner after all this fun, head to High Steaks, atop the Rio hotel.

Fifty floors up with 180-degree views from an outdoor terrace, as well as sumptuous steaks, you can gorge on extravagant seafood towers and smoked prime rib.

For something a little more relaxed, how about Pinky’s By Vanderpump at the Flamingo?

It’s no less Instagrammable, due to its sexy Art Deco greenhouse vibe, but with more affordable food.

And I urge you to try the Daddy Issues cocktail (make sure you stir in the candyfloss once you’ve taken a picture!).

For a classier speakeasy experience, The Vault — hidden deep within the sprawling Bellagio casino floor — oozes sophistication. But make sure you book to avoid disappointment.

Then on to a nightclub? Make it Omnia in Caesars Palace. You’ll be captivated by its famous kinetic chandelier that pulsates in time to the music above a dancefloor packed with beautiful people.

Away from the bright lights of the casinos and nightclubs, there is a little gem just off the Strip in karaoke bar Smelly Cat, where you can belt out your chosen anthem with a live backing group.

The resident band can play any tune their super-duper AI gadget can find. They’d never heard of Mardy Bum by Arctic Monkeys when it was requested, but they smashed it out of the park.

You can jump the queue to get up on stage by paying a $100 fee. Depending on how much you would love to sing with your own backing band, that could be an absolute bargain.

After the high-octane fun of casinos, the Strip and all those Daddy Issues, the Arts District is the place to head.

South Main Street, a 15-minute taxi ride from the Strip, is home to chilled bars and cafes, cool vintage stores, antique markets and art galleries.

It’s like an anti-Vegas if you need to decompress, and cafe/bakery 1228 Main is the ideal place to have a relaxed lunch mid-mooch — check out the breakfast burrito. A pit stop, if you will, after all that racing around.

But in Sin City — as in a Grand Prix — pit stops are very much temporary.

Cocktails await, followed by the casino, followed by a club . . . 

Lights out and away we go, people!