Congressmen call for briefing with commissioner Adam Silver on NBA gambling scandal

The House Commerce Committee requested NBA commissioner Adam Silver for a briefing on the gambling and game-fixing investigation that has erupted within the league. The letter, signed by Republican and Democratic members, calls for the face-to-face no later than Oct. 31.

The request comes just a day after the arrests of Portland Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, along with 30 others. According to authorities, the investigation involves leaking inside information to bet on games and rigged poker games with mob involvement.

According to various reports, the committee wants to know whether the NBA's code of conduct explicitly prohibits the conduct described in the allegations, whether the league will review its ties to the gambling industry, and what steps it will take to limit the disclosure of nonpublic information for illegal purposes.

The NBA did not immediately comment on the congressional request. Silver, however, has argued in the past for stricter regulation of the industry and, just this week, said he would prefer a federal framework for the issue of sports betting and that there needs to be oversight of the promotion and advertising around it.

The case, which has splashed the world's best basketball league, is reigniting the debate in Washington about gambling.

Lawmakers, for now, are calling for more controls - limits on gambling advertising, penalties for use of nonpublic information, traceable betting records, and mandatory cooperation from bookmakers - while the Senate will evaluate a federal framework in December.

If Silver ultimately testifies before Congress, the NBA must show how it will shield its code of conduct to protect the league's integrity.