Nearly a decade ago, Rob Gorodetsky predicted the kind of scandals that have recently embroiled both the NCAA and the NBA. In a 2017 interview with USA Today, he suggested that it would be easy to entice college athletes to break the rules. "You just pay college kids, inner-city college kids who don’t have any money," he stated. "Give them 10 grand. That’s like a million dollars to them. You know what I’m saying? Have a bad game, here’s 10 grand. I don’t see how they wouldn’t do it."
At the time, Gorodetsky highlighted his experience wagering $27 million on sports that year, a fact that later caught the attention of authorities and led to a criminal indictment against him, Malik Beasley, and former NBA player Ed Davis due to their alleged involvement in a point-shaving scheme.
Ernesto Plascencia, another gambler implicated in the case, warned Gorodetsky with a message after a supposed fix in March 2024, stating, "Rob you making insane amount stop it. You move the lines every time." Agent Paulo Zamorano, also part of the indictments, voiced concerns that gamblers were betting up to $40,000 per game, manipulating the betting lines.
All involved in the case have pleaded not guilty to the charges. Gorodetsky previously described his tactics for evading detection in his betting schemes: "I’d spread it around Vegas, 20 grand a place. They’d never notice. I wouldn’t beat one casino badly. I’d take a little piece from every single (sports) book."
This case stands apart from another NBA sports betting scandal linking players like Terry Rozier and Damon Jones. Rozier has pleaded not guilty to accusations of influencing games to secure winning bets on props, while Jones accepted a plea deal, admitting to two counts of wire fraud in conjunction with the sports betting schemes and a rigged poker case that involved Chauncey Billups and others.
Gorodetsky and Jones share a long-standing connection. In the 2017 interview, Gorodetsky revealed that Jones would frequently reach out to him for betting advice while he was an assistant coach for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The two were seen together at the NBA summer league in Las Vegas, where Gorodetsky claimed to bet as much as $150,000 daily. “I just kept pounding them. (The casinos) started lowering my limits because the house has no idea who’s going to win in summer league," he noted.
In the current indictment, Jones allegedly leveraged his coaching role to provide insider information. There are claims that he informed gamblers about Lakers’ lineup changes, including a key message about LeBron James missing a game.
Despite their hefty earnings from NBA contracts, both Jones and Beasley have faced significant financial woes due to gambling. Prosecutors indicated that Davis proposed the match-fixing scheme to Beasley as a means of escaping his financial troubles. They noted that Beasley had "accumulated multi-million dollar gambling losses."
Communications from Jones reveal his need for money to cover debts from participating in fixed poker matches. In one message, he expressed gratitude for being able to bet, stating, "GOD really blessed me that u have action for me cause I needed it today bad."
Gorodetsky, similarly, has experienced a tumultuous gambling career. While he cultivated his image as a high-stakes gambler in Las Vegas, he acknowledges his substantial losses. "We lost $100,000 over here, we lost $50,000 over here. You’re still going to see me here tomorrow. You’re going to see me here the next day. We’re going to be in the game," he affirmed on a particularly bad night.
Peter Tran, a casino host at the Aria, noted Gorodetsky's significant gambling losses exceeding $1 million. Fellow gambler Dave Oancea, known as ‘Vegas Dave,’ commented on Gorodetsky's situation, saying, "If someone is born into $10 million, anybody can purchase $200,000 tickets. That just means you have access to funds."
Gorodetsky faced legal trouble in 2020 as Illinois prosecutors charged him with wire fraud for allegedly stealing nearly $10 million from his ex-girlfriend’s father. He pleaded guilty and served 28 months in prison. Just over a year after his release, he became involved in the alleged scheme connected with Beasley.
