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Former NBA star Charles Oakley accused of gambling fraud at Las Vegas casino

Oakley is accused of "adding to or reducing his wager" on a game after the outcome was known.

LAS VEGAS — Former New York Knicks star Charles Oakley is being accused of gambling fraud after a wager at a Las Vegas casino over the weekend weekend, casino regulators said Thursday.

Oakley was arrested Sunday at the Cosmopolitan casino-resort on the Las Vegas Strip on suspicion of committing or attempting to commit a fraudulent act in a gaming establishment, the Nevada Gaming Control Board said in a statement.

The agency said Oakley is suspected of "adding to or reducing his wager" on a game after the outcome was known. It was unclear which game Oakley might have been betting on.

Image: Coach Charles Oakley of Killer 3s looks on in the game against the 3 Headed Monsters during week four of the BIG3 three on three basketball league at Wells Fargo Center on July 16, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Charles OakleyMitchell Leff / Getty Images

Oakley was booked and later released from jail. The regulatory agency would not release details of the circumstances surrounding the arrest.

The Cosmopolitan said in a statement that it had "no details with regards to any alleged activity and will not comment on our guests' experience."

The felony count carries between one and six years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

But Oakley's attorney, Alex Spiro, told NBC News in a statement: “This is not a significant matter and we expect it to be resolved quickly."

Las Vegas-based attorney Adam Solinger, who is not involved in Oakley's case, said very few people end up with a felony conviction when they commit a gambling violation, unless "the cheating is more sophisticated." He said cases are sometimes resolved as misdemeanor offenses with fines.

Solinger said a casino would be well within its rights to ban a cheating patron, and other casinos that hear about the patron's actions may choose to watch that person more closely.

The 6-foot-8 Oakley was a rugged enforcer playing alongside center Patrick Ewing in the '90s and has kept his tough-guy persona long after retirement.

Oakley's criticisms of the team and management have led to a strained relationship with the Knicks organization.

Last year, he was escorted from his seats at Madison Square Garden and arrested after an altercation near team owner James Dolan. He was cleared of the misdemeanor assault charges in February.

Oakley filed a lawsuit against Dolan alleging that he was the one who was assaulted.