The keywords are trending due to a major, ongoing FBI investigation into widespread illegal gambling and sports betting schemes involving current and former NBA players and coaches, with alleged ties to organized crime families.

Here's a breakdown of the background and reasons:

Two Separate Schemes:

• Illegal Sports Betting on NBA Games: One scheme involved individuals using confidential, non-public information about NBA players and teams to place fraudulent bets. This "insider trading" for the NBA involved knowing things like when players would sit out due to injury or illness, or even faking injuries to manipulate game outcomes for betting purposes. Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and former NBA player Damon Jones are among those accused in this scheme. For example, Rozier is alleged to have informed co-conspirators he would leave a game early with a "supposed injury," leading to large wagers on his under-performance. Damon Jones is accused of providing insider information about LeBron James's injury status to bettors.
• Rigged High-Stakes Poker Games: A separate but related scheme involved illegal, rigged poker games operated by organized crime families, including the Bonanno, Gambino, Genovese, and Lucchese crime families (parts of "La Cosa Nostra"). Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Damon Jones are among those charged in this scheme. These games allegedly lured wealthy individuals, sometimes using former professional athletes like Billups and Jones as "face cards" to attract players, and then used advanced cheating technology (like rigged shuffling machines and X-ray tables) to defraud victims of millions of dollars.

The FBI Investigation:

• The FBI led a coordinated effort across 11 states, resulting in over 30 arrests.
• The investigation, dubbed "Operation Royal Flush" and "Operation Nothing But Bet," has been ongoing for years and involves "tens of millions of dollars" in fraud and theft.
• Both Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier have been placed on "immediate leave" by the NBA, which has stated it is cooperating with authorities and takes the allegations very seriously, prioritizing the integrity of the game.
• The charges include conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, among others. This scandal also follows the lifetime ban of former Raptors player Jontay Porter for similar gambling-related offenses.