A sports betting personality made a striking admission in court while pleading guilty in two basketball gambling cases involving the purchase of confidential information and, in one instance, an attempt to influence a player's on-court performance.

NBC News reported that Marves Fairley, 40, pleaded guilty in late May in federal court in two separate cases tied to betting schemes involving professional and college basketball. In Brooklyn, Fairley — who presented himself online as a gambling expert — admitted that he and others used nonpublic information from NBA players and coaches to improve their betting odds.

"I agreed to pay a player to change their game performance to give me an advantage," he said.

Prosecutors in Brooklyn said Fairley paid for information that included allegations of former Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier underperforming in a 2023 game, as well as private medical details about Los Angeles Lakers stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

NBC News reported that Fairley also pleaded guilty in Pennsylvania in a separate case that accused him of bribing and recruiting college basketball players to perform below their usual level. Prosecutors say he profited from both operations and are seeking a prison sentence of 8 to 10 years.

The case also comes at a time when online gambling has become deeply embedded in everyday entertainment. Sportsbooks are often marketed as fun, fast, and easy to use, but critics have long warned that the industry's rapid growth has brought predatory design, relentless advertising, financial harm, and the normalization of real-time wagering.

As more money flows through legal and gray-area betting ecosystems, pressure is increasing on leagues, regulators, and platforms to detect suspicious activity, improve transparency, and prevent exploitation before it spreads.

Prosecutors have portrayed Fairley as a leading participant in the schemes.

Assistant U.S. Attorney David Berman identified Rozier as the player involved in the NBA-related case.

Rozier, however, has maintained his innocence. His attorney, Jim Trusty, pushed back strongly, saying: "There are some desperate men in this case with terrible criminal records and tons of exposure, and they know what to say to please these prosecutors."

Fairley declined to speak to reporters after the hearing. He is scheduled to be sentenced in February.

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