If you were following along with the press conference on the FBI sports gambling probe that led to the arrests of Chauncey Billups, current NBA player Terry Rozier and others, you may have heard the law enforcement officials mention the involvement of “La Cosa Nostra.”

As FBI director Kash Patel said, “The FBI led a coordinated takedown across 11 states to arrest over 30 individuals today responsible for this case, which is very much ongoing. Not only did we crack into the fraud that these perpetrators committed on the grand stage of the NBA, but we also entered and executed a system of justice against La Cosa Nostra to include the Bonanno, Gambino, Genovese, and Lucchese crime families.”

So what’s that all about? Let’s explain below:

What is La Cosa Nostra?

It literally means “our thing” and refers to what some call “the Mafia” or “the Mob.” As you saw above, Patel mentioned the involvement of “crime families” — Bonanno, Gambino, Genovese and Lucchese.

How is La Cosa Nostra involved in the sports gambling investigation?

The allegations involve illegal poker games that were backed by La Cosa Nostra crime families, in which suspects allegedly used technology to cheat at the card game and steal millions from players.

Here’s more from NYC Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch:

We’ll see if we hear more than this soon.