Billups and others are involved in gambling! TSN: U.S. congressmen sent a letter to Xiao Hua requesting a briefing

Trail Blazers head coach Billups, Heat guard Rozier and former NBA player& coach Damon Jones were indicted in two extensive federal investigations this week. Billups and Rozier were ordered by the NBA to leave their teams immediately.

According to Canadian media TSN, members of the U.S. Congress sent a letter to NBA President Silver on Friday, U.S. time, requesting a briefing on the progress and expressing concerns about "allegations of illegal gambling and game manipulation."

This bipartisan letter signed by six members of the House Energy and Commerce Committee requires Silver to give a briefing before October 31, U.S. time.

ESPN has contacted the NBA for comment.

The committee, which oversees consumer protection and sports affairs, said in the letter that it had previously investigated "doping issues in Major League Baseball, anti-doping measures in the Olympics, and sexual abuse of Olympic athletes."

Committee members requested more details about illegal gambling activities related to the NBA, the league's "actions taken to restrict the use of non-public information for unlawful purposes," and whether the NBA's code of conduct effectively prohibits players and coaches from participating in such activities.

In their letter, they also questioned whether the league is "re-evaluating the terms of cooperation with sports betting companies." DraftKings and FanDuel are the official betting partners of the NBA, along with multiple licensed gaming operators.

In their letter, committee members also requested clarification of loopholes in current regulations that could lead to fraudulent betting activities. Silver said on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Tuesday (U.S. time) that more regulation is needed to reduce opportunities for game-fixing related to gambling and curb bad fan behavior that can result from losing bets.

"I think there probably does need to be more regulation, frankly," Silver told McPhee. "I hope there will be federal legislation instead of states acting independently. I think the amount of relevant promotion and advertising must be monitored."

The letter pointed out that illegal gambling in the league based on non-public information is not a "new problem" and cited the 2007 case of former NBA referee Donaghy and the recent investigation into the case of former Raptors player Jontae Porter, who was eventually banned from the NBA for life.

Donaghy was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges and admitting to betting on games he officiated. Porter admitted to manipulating his performance in two games for the benefit of gamblers, which was tied to the same scheme as Rozier& Damon Jones. He has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing.