Malik Beasley and Ed Davis Hit With Federal Gambling Charges Over Alleged NBA Prop Bet Manipulation Scheme

Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn unsealed an indictment Monday charging former NBA players Malik Beasley and Ed Davis with bribery in sports competitions, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and conspiracy to launder money, alleging they ran a scheme to manipulate player prop bets during the 2023-24 NBA season. Beasley, who played for the Milwaukee Bucks during the games in question, and Davis, who last played in the NBA in 2021-22, are the fifth and sixth current or former NBA players to be federally indicted as part of a sweeping investigation into insider gambling in professional basketball.

According to the indictment, Beasley agreed to intentionally over- or underperform in specific statistical categories — including points and rebounds — in at least four games while with the Bucks. He would then pass advance information about his planned performance to Davis, who relayed it to a network of co-conspirators who used the information to place bets at legal sportsbooks and through other gambling operations. The wagers cited in the indictment totaled more than $75,000, generating net winnings of at least $121,000.

Six Defendants Named, Four Arrested Monday

The six defendants named in the indictment are Beasley, Davis, Davis’s former agent Paolo Zamorano, and three co-conspirators identified as Robert Gorodetsky, Ernesto Plascencia, and William Brown. Davis, Gorodetsky, Plascencia, and Brown were arrested Monday morning. Beasley and Zamorano were not in custody but Beasley’s attorney said he would surrender voluntarily to federal authorities later in the week. Arraignment dates have not been set for any defendant.

The charges carry substantial prison exposure. Bribery in sports competitions alone can carry up to five years per count, and the money laundering conspiracy component can carry up to 20 years. Prosecutors allege Beasley accumulated multimillion-dollar gambling losses during his nine-year NBA career and entered the manipulation scheme to offset those debts.

The NBA said Monday it is reviewing the federal indictment and that preserving game integrity is its highest priority. The league is cooperating with federal authorities. Beasley’s attorney stressed his client maintains his presumption of innocence. Zamorano’s lawyer called the charges unfounded.

What This Means for Player Prop Betting

The case is the latest in a string of federal actions targeting the intersection of professional athletes and the player prop betting markets that have exploded alongside the legalization of sports wagering. Individual statistical prop bets — points, rebounds, assists, steals — are now among the highest-volume offerings at most major licensed DraftKings and FanDuel accounts, and the granular nature of those markets makes them acutely vulnerable to manipulation by athletes with advance knowledge of their own intent.

The MLBPA recently proposed a nationwide ban on player prop bets during CBA negotiations with Major League Baseball. Indiana delayed a planned college player prop restriction to the fall. With federal indictments now reaching six NBA players, expect those discussions to accelerate both within sports leagues and at the state and federal regulatory level. For sports bettors, the takeaway is that the integrity frameworks surrounding prop markets are under intense scrutiny heading into the 2026-27 season.