US Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg has sent letters to several sports organizations in the wake of illegal sports gambling schemes involving professional athletes.
Walberg sent queries to various organizations on Tuesday (December 9), including the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA), the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA), the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), the National Hockey League Players Association (NHLPA), and the Major League Soccer Players Association (MLSPA), asking how they are working to support players in the wake of various illegal sports gambling schemes.
Sports betting is booming and illegal gambling schemes are on the rise. It's simple: Illegal schemes shred fair competition, hurting betters who follow the law and exposing athletes to extortion.
Chairman @RepWalberg sent letters to the heads of 5 pro athletes unions to get more… pic.twitter.com/3bF0vltdGR
— House Committee on Education & Workforce (@EdWorkforceCmte) December 9, 2025
Many of these illegal rings involved professional athletes, including a high-profile NBA case and instances involving student athletes. Concerns around players’ involvement in illegal sports gambling has already led to some organizations putting pressure on their members to maintain integrity, but now external forces like the Education and Workforce Committee are stepping in too.
Pressure is mounting to take action against illegal sports gambling schemes
“Recent instances highlight the alarming rise in proprietary information sharing to benefit certain gamblers,” wrote Walberg.
“These actions eviscerate the integrity of sports and hurt honest, law-abiding athletes. The Committee understands the important role of players’ associations in educating individuals on illegal sports betting practices and seeks to understand how you can better ensure proper conduct among players to safeguard free and fair competition.”
The letter goes on to make direct mention of the NBA case involving former Miami Heat player Terry Rozier and former Cleveland Cavaliers player and assistant coach Damon Jones, as well that related to two Cleveland Guardians pitchers, Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz.
“In light of these and other similar scandals, the Committee seeks information from the NFLPA to understand what steps it is taking to ensure the athletes it serves are protected from these unethical actions,” the letter continued. “By no later than January 31, 2026, the Committee kindly requests that the NFLPA provide information on what actions it has taken or plans to take to curtail players from using proprietary information to skew sports betting.”
ReadWrite has reached out to the NFLPA, the MLBPA, the NBPA, the NHLPA, and the MLSPA for further comment.
Featured image: US Education and Workforce Committee via X
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