“There’s nothing more important to the league and its fans than the integrity of the competition.” So says Adam Silver , commissioner of the National Basketball Association .
He was referring to dual indictments unveiled Oct. 23 , which alleged that NBA players and coaches had disclosed nonpublic team information to a criminal gambling ring; engaged in wire fraud and money-laundering conspiracies; and participated in rigged poker games that involved elaborate cheating technology, an assortment of hustlers, four Mafia families and a bouncer known as Albanian Bruce. “Integrity” isn’t the first word that comes to mind.
Since the Supreme Court opened the U.S. gambling market in 2018, 39 states…