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NBA Restricts Certain Bets to Prevent Scandals
· Confirmed
In Short: The NBA has banned specific types of bets and parlays to prevent future gambling scandals involving players like Terry Rozier and Jontay Porter.
The NBA has issued a memo to its sportsbook partners, instructing them to ban certain types of bets and parlays this season, following recent gambling scandals involving NBA players Terry Rozier and Jontay Porter, ESPN reported.
According to the memo, sportsbooks will be prohibited from offering bets on the winner of a game's opening tip-off, players on missing specific shots, and under bets for players expected to see under 12 minutes of playing time. The league also directed partners to stop offering lines with larger payouts on under wagers.
The NBA's move comes nearly a year after the league was rocked by betting scandals that led to the arrests of former Portland coach Chauncey Billups, former Miami guard Terry Rozier, and former NBA guard Damon Jones for their alleged involvement in gambling operations that leaked inside information about NBA players and rigged poker games.
In one case, federal officials alleged that Rozier conspired with associates to help them win bets based on his statistical performance in a March 2023 game when he played for the Charlotte Hornets. Prosecutors said one bettor placed an $80,000 parlay on the under for six statistical categories for Porter in a March 2024 game, which would pay approximately $1.1 million.
The new rules, which will also apply to WNBA games starting in 2027, come after the NBA had already restricted other types of prop bets, including those involving players on 10-day or two-way contracts, turnovers, fouls, and missed free throws. The NBA estimates its partner sportsbooks account for upward of 99% of the U.S. market.
Sportsbooks will also be banned from allowing bettors to include the under on the same player's statistics in parlays, in addition to other betting markets the league considers problematic. The NBA has requested its sportsbook partners to stop offering certain prop bets, particularly those involving the 'under' on player statistics.
The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) have shown tentative support for further restrictions on prop bets. The league has also developed an AI-based data monitoring platform designed to detect and investigate unusual betting activity involving NBA games or events by analyzing injury reports, social media, and wagering patterns.
The NBA's decision to urge sportsbooks to restrict certain bets is also influenced by concerns over the integrity of the game. The league has upgraded protections for NBA teams from harassment or threats by sports bettors, and all players, coaches, and training staff will be required to attend live, in-person training on the league's sports betting rules starting this season.
What's confirmed
- The NBA told sportsbook partners in a Friday memo to ban certain types of bets and parlays this season that gamblers used in recent wagering scandals, ESPN reported.
- "Where we landed right now, we think, is the right balance of those two objectives." Sportsbooks will be banned from offering lines with larger payouts on under wagers.
- "There's a balance between ensuring that we are removing problematic bet types but also ensuring that we don't just move activity into the illegal market," NBA executive vice president Scott Kaufman-Ross told ESPN.
- "We remain unwavering in our commitment to building a legal and regulated market that roots out abuses by those who seek to undermine fair competition and damage the integrity of the games we love."
- The NBA has requested its sportsbook partners to stop offering certain prop bets, particularly those involving the "under" on player statistics, as reported by ESPN.
- Michal Lorenc, a clinical assistant professor at the University of Michigan, highlighted the risks associated with prop bets.
- He noted that these bets allow gamblers to wager on specific player statistics, making them susceptible to manipulation.
- The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) have shown tentative support for further restrictions on prop bets.
- “The NBA’s guidance formalizes many of the market restrictions already reflected in DraftKings Sportsbook’s practices," a DraftKings spokesperson said.
What's still developing
- In the criminal complaint, federal prosecutors said one of the bettors charged in the scheme placed an $80,000 parlay on the under on Porter's assists, rebounds, points, 3-pointers, steals and blocks for a March 2024 game between the Raptors and Sacramento Kings that would pay approximately $1.1 million.
- According to multiple reports citing league memos, the NBA instructed its authorized gaming operators not to allow bets that the league has deemed problematic in the wake of recent betting scandals.
- “The legalized sports betting industry is built on a foundation of dialogue and collaboration with our league partners and the states in which we operate,” a FanDuel spokesperson said.