Last year, news broke that NBC is paying the National Basketball Association (NBA) $27.5 billion for the right to broadcast some of their games over the next 11 years.
This announcement was followed by the news that, with this NBA deal, NBC is expected to lose between $500 million and $1.4 billion per year, against a fee of $2.5 billion a year to the NBA. This is despite the fact that NBC will increase the ad rate to $130,000 for a 30-second commercial (versus the $50,000 charged by TNT’s previous NBA telecasts), that NBC will raise its TV affiliates’ fees, and that it will increase its ad-supported Peacock streaming subscription service to $10.99 per month.
Then, on October 23, 2025 came the devastating news that U.S. federal agents (pictured above) arrested 34 people affiliated with the NBA, including players and reps who were allegedly involved in all manner of illegal gambling activities, such as rigging poker games, money laundering, and illegal betting on NBA games, all backed by four organized crime families, and involving millions of dollars.
Joseph Nocella, the top federal prosecutor for the Eastern District of New York, called it “one of the most brazen sports corruption schemes since online sports betting became widely legalized in the United States.”
Under commissioner Adam Silver, the NBA (and other pro leagues) has sought a federal sports betting law from Congress, and today, sports betting is legal and regulated in 38 states, plus Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico.
“The integrity of the game is paramount to NBA players, but so is the presumption of innocence, and both are hindered when player popularity is misused to gain attention,” the NBA Players Association said in a statement. “We will ensure our members are protected and afforded their due process rights through this process.”
This latest NBA scandal is expected to drive fans away from NBA games, but it’s still unclear how NBC will react.
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