The Hornets are taking “Sports Betting” night off their promotional calendar—for now.
A March 17, 2026, game against the Heat has been removed from the team’s promotional schedule, a day after it was released because of the federal gambling probe that currently involves Miami guard Terry Rozier. Teams have theme nights routinely throughout the season—such as French Heritage Night or West Indian Night—but ones related to sports gambling have emerged since it became legal in the U.S. in 2018.
Rozier, who played for the Hornets from 2019 to 2024, is currently in the final year of a four-year, $96 million contract he originally signed in Charlotte in 2021 before being traded to the Heat in January 2024. He is under federal investigation for point-shaving in a game when he was on the Hornets.
A Hornets spokesperson did not immediately reply to a request for comment about the promotion, but told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel that “It is no longer happening on that day.”
No details about the event were posted outside of it being sponsored by Bet365, which is a U.K.-based sportsbook. In March, the Hornets hosted their first Sports Betting Night against the Knicks, which was also sponsored by Bet365. Coincidentally, the game against the Heat will be played on Rozier’s 32nd birthday.
The 6-foot-1 point guard has been linked to unusual gambling patterns during his Hornets tenure, specifically a March 2023 game against the Pelicans. Rozier played less than 10 minutes before exiting with a foot injury. Federal authorities are investigating whether Rozier manipulated his performance for gamblers. The same bettors are also involved in the investigation of former Raptor Jontay Porter, according to The Wall Street Journal. Porter became the first NBA player to be banned for life in April 2024 when an NBA investigation found he bet on games and gave injury information to gamblers.
Rozier has not been disciplined by the NBA, nor has he been charged or accused of wrongdoing, but is still under federal investigation. Free agent guard Malik Beasley is also being investigated by the federal government and the NBA in two separate probes.
