Marcus Morris Denies Casino Fraud Allegations After Arrest in Florida

NBA veteran Marcus Morris was arrested in Florida over the weekend in connection with an out-of-state warrant tied to a felony fraud case, but the 35-year-old forward says the situation has been blown out of proportion.

Morris was taken into custody by the Broward County Sheriff’s Office on Sunday and held without bond.

According to court documents, Morris is accused of defrauding two Las Vegas casinos out of $265,000 by writing bad checks that bounced, including one for $115,000 to the MGM Grand in May, followed by a similar incident involving the Wynn Las Vegas weeks later.

The longtime NBA forward addressed the charges Wednesday in a lengthy Instagram post, denying any intent to commit fraud.

Morris admitted he took out gambling markers — essentially casino loans — but insisted he never tried to avoid paying. He said he has since paid back the money and strongly objected to being labeled a criminal.

“The word fraud was thrown on my name as if I took something,” Morris wrote. “Did I take out a marker to gamble? Yes. Was this my first time? No. I’ve been enjoying my off time in Vegas for years and that’s not just gambling. So yeah, I took my time to pay back the money, but if I’d known I’d be locked up, I would’ve paid it on the spot.”

Morris claimed he spent 51 hours in jail without food or water and was treated as if he posed a flight risk, despite what he said was a long and high-spending history with the casinos in question. He also noted that his brother, NBA forward Markieff Morris, was in his corner and said his financial standing was never in doubt.

“Check the stats. Never owed or needed money for anything,” Morris said.

The former first-round pick went on to blast Las Vegas casinos for what he described as disrespectful treatment after years of loyalty as a customer.

“My last thing is F— Vegas. To treat me like that was wild. I’ve gambled on those properties for 10-plus years,” he wrote. “Never been in cuffs or part of any fraud stuff in my life and it’s going to stay that way.”

Morris most recently played for the Cleveland Cavaliers during the 2023–24 season. Over his 12-year career, Morris has played for eight NBA teams and averaged 12.0 points and 4.4 rebounds. He earned a career-best 19.6 points per game with the Knicks in 2019–20 and has made over $100 million in salary.

Earlier this year, Morris also made waves with his debut as a guest analyst on ESPN’s First Take, where his blunt commentary drew attention — and some criticism.

No further legal action has been confirmed at this time. The Las Vegas casinos involved have not issued statements, and Morris remains a free agent.

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