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(NewsNation) — Former NBA referee Tim Donaghy is unsurprised that a current NBA player and coach were among more than 30 people arrested Thursday in connection with a federal probe into sports gambling and rigged poker games.
Donaghy served 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud and transmitting betting information for taking thousands of dollars from a gambler for inside tips on games in 2008.
He joined "CUOMO" to discuss the arrest and alleged involvement of Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, and the Mafia.
"Definitely not surprised with what's going on. I think this is just the tip of the iceberg," Donaghy told NewsNation.
In fact, he believes there is greater potential for a larger gambling scandal at the college sports level.
"You have these young athletes that aren't going to make it to the next level, and somebody is going to offer them money to maybe fix a game and only win by 12 rather than 15, and they're going to take that money because they're going to need a way to support their family," Donaghy said.
Billups, who was arrested in Oregon, is charged in a separate indictment alleging a wide-ranging scheme to rig underground poker games connected to the La Cosa Nostra crime families, authorities said.
Meanwhile, Rozier is accused of participating in an illegal sports betting scheme using private insider NBA information, according to officials.
Both men are on leave from their respective NBA franchises.
NewsNation's Safia Samee Ali contributed to this report.
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