A luxury Manhattan town house once rented by rapper Travis Scott is in the headlines again after federal prosecutors alleged it hosted illegal poker games involving NBA figures and the mafia, according to the New York Post.
Key Takeaways
- Feds allege a $22.5-million NYC house was the venue for mob-run poker games.
- Players and coaches allegedly helped lure wealthy gamblers into fixed matches.
- The home also has links to Kylie Jenner's ex, Travis Scott.
The red-brick Georgian-style property is now on the market for $22.5 million, real estate group Gimme Shelter confirmed. It was allegedly one of several venues used by the Gambino crime family to run high-stakes, rigged poker games.
Prosecutors say NBA stars, including Chauncey Billups, Damon Jones, and Terry Rozier, were brought in to attract wealthy gamblers.
The games allegedly formed part of a sophisticated gambling network that stretched from Manhattan to Miami and Las Vegas, with players cheated out of millions of dollars. The property’s reappearance on the market has revived public fascination with its lavish past and infamous connections.
Mob allegedly used NBA stars in $7M scheme
According to federal prosecutors, the rigged poker games were part of a multifamily mafia operation that landed nearly $7 million. The Gambino, Bonanno, Lucchese, and Genovese families were allegedly involved in a conspiracy to cheat using special shuffling machines and high-tech sunglasses that enabled them to read marked cards.
The assistant director of the FBI’s New York field office, Christopher Raia, highlighted the scale of the gambling operation. “This alleged scheme wreaked havoc across the nation, exploiting the notoriety of some and the wallets of many to fund the Italian crime family here in New York,” Raia said at a press conference.
It is reported that one player lost $1.8 million, while others were threatened when they refused to pay. Prosecutors allege the NBA figures implicated, including Portland Trail Blazers head coach Billups, were given a share of the proceeds for lending credibility to the games.
Congress demands NBA gambling accountability
The growing NBA scandal over illegal gambling activity has led to U.S. lawmakers demanding answers. Several politicians reportedly met with NBA officials this week in Washington to discuss how the league is handling gambling controversies and the wider question of sports betting.
Senators Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell have questioned NBA commissioner Adam Silver over why Terry Rozier was cleared to continue playing after suspicious betting patterns were flagged by sportsbooks during a 2023 game. Rozier has since been charged with conspiring to manipulate betting outcomes, in a similar case to Jontay Porter, whom the NBA banned in 2024.
Silver has repeatedly said he supports federal regulation of sports betting.
