Pedowitz '72 concludes NBA referee gambling investigation

Larry Pedowitz ’72 completed his 14-month investigation into allegations of gambling among NBA referees and found that only one referee had been paid to pick winners of NBA games and provide gamblers with inside information, according to The New York Times.

In his 133-page report, Pedowitz absolved all referees other than Tim Donaghy from illegal activities but found several referees had violated NBA gambling rules by making wagers on the golf course with friends or playing cards at casinos, rules which have since been relaxed. The report also noted some teams are worried that referees may allow previous incidents to affect how they call games.

To address these concerns, Pedowitz recommended the creation of a hotline for information about illicit gambling and suggested that the NBA make referees more accessible to the media so fans can better understand how rules are interpreted.

NBA Commissioner David Stern appointed Pedowitz last year to lead the investigation into the gambling allegations. Pedowitz, a former federal prosecutor, is a partner at Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz.

Read more about the investigation in The New York Times