-
David Purdum
With three players involved in a federal gambling investigation, the NBA and its players’ association said this week that they support further limitations on certain types of bets to reduce the risk of manipulation and combat athlete abuse by gamblers.
“Protecting the integrity of our game is paramount, and we believe reasonable limitations on certain prop bets should be given due consideration,” an NBA spokesperson said in a statement to ESPN. “Any approach should aim to reduce the risk of performance manipulation while ensuring that fans who wish to place prop bets can continue to do so via legal, regulated markets.”
NBA commissioner Adam Silver banned former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter from the league in April 2024 after finding that Porter had manipulated his performance in two games. Porter pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy charges in July 2024 and admitted in court to removing himself from two games during the 2023-24 season to benefit associates who had bet on the under on his statistics.
In reaction, the NBA asked its partner sportsbooks to stop allowing bettors to wager on the under on prop bets involving players on two-way contracts, like Porter was at the time of the alleged scheme.
The league now believes further limitations on prop bets may be warranted.
Porter is one of three NBA players, along with Terry Rozier and Malik Beasley, known to have been investigated as part of a federal gambling inquiry. Neither Rozier nor Beasley have been charged with a crime.
The National Basketball Players Association views the Porter case as an outlier and has seen no evidence other performance manipulation in the league, according to a spokesperson. The NBPA is, however, concerned about the abuse athletes face from disgruntled bettors.
“[Players] are concerned that prop bets have become an increasingly alarming source of player harassment, both online and in person,” an NBPA spokesperson said in a statement to ESPN. “If tighter regulations can help minimize that abuse, then we support taking a closer look at them.”
Two states — Ohio and New Jersey — have taken steps to prohibit certain prop bets. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine called for a ban on so-called microbets — wagers placed on specific events during games — after two Cleveland Guardians pitchers were placed on leave amid a Major League Baseball investigation into suspicious betting activity on the result of select individual pitches during two games in June. DeWine asked for the support of major professional sports leagues and their players’ unions.
MLB is discussing the microbet issue, according to a source familiar with the matter. The MLB Players Association declined comment. The NFL and NFL Players Association also declined comment when contacted by ESPN.
In New Jersey, Assembly member Dan Hutchison introduced a bill aiming to eliminate microbets at the state’s sportsbooks.
“I just think it’s going too far,” Hutchinson told ESPN this week. “We’re going to corrupt our youth as well as corrupt the integrity of the sport.”