Mafia-Linked NBA Betting Scandal Prompts PETA ‘Wiseguys’ Video in Las Vegas: Whack Cruelty to Animals!

For Immediate Release:
October 23, 2025

Contact:
Nicole Perreira 202-483-7382

Following the arrests of several NBA members in a Mafia-backed sports gambling and poker scheme in Las Vegas, a PETA video series featuring more mindful mobsters is headed to local airwaves. PETA plans to run the Quentin Tarantino-inspired spots—which follow a trio of wiseguys who draw the line at roughing up animals for belts, jackets, and sweaters—during NBA coverage.

“Real good fellas know that no animal should be whacked for a sweater or a belt,” says PETA Senior Vice President Colleen O’Brien. “PETA is reminding everyone that the leather and wool industries are the seediest rackets in town and encouraging people everywhere to bet on fabulous vegan fashion.”

Cows have friends and mourn when a loved one dies, but those killed for leather may be skinned and dismembered while still conscious. Sheep can remember 50 different faces and leap with excitement when they see their family, yet at sheep farms in New Zealand—one of the world’s top wool producers—workers drag sheep across the floor and sew up their bloody wounds without painkillers—abuses captured on video at shearing sheds all over the world.

Viewers can visit MindfulMobsters.com to check out PETA’s vegan mobster style guide, which includes information about the best faux leather wallets for hiding hush money and animal-friendly jackets to help conceal a “stain.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to wear”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.