NBA commissioner Adam Silver has pointed out a very serious problem. He cites the need for tougher regulations on sports betting to limit the potential for game fixing. Specifically, during a recent appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Silver discussed the potential abuse of prop bets on individual players. In particular, he raised alarm bells on gambling on those who are on two-way contracts.
In 2014, Silver characterized his efforts in favor of a new sports betting regimen in a New York Times op-ed as “fighting the good fight.” Until then, state-sponsored betting was pretty much limited to Nevada. Flash forward eleven years, and the world looks a whole lot different. Today, 39 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have legal betting markets.
Despite this growth, Silver remains cautious. He praised the steps that the NBA has taken to prevent possible manipulation, like cutting betting options on players with two-way contracts. He stressed the need for more regulation, calling it “absolutely essential.”
“We’ve asked some of our partners to pull back some of the prop bets, especially when they’re on two-way players, guys who don’t have the same stake in the competition, where it’s too easy to manipulate something, which seems otherwise small and inconsequential to the overall score,” – Adam Silver
Silver’s remarks follow a number recent upsets like Jontay Porter’s banning from the NBA. The only former Toronto Raptors player was recently found to be engaging in game-fixing during the 2023-24 NBA season. This was just one piece of the larger gambling ring he was running. The NBA has responded by asking its sportsbook partners to refrain from offering prop bets on players on two-way contracts, particularly in situations where underperformance could be exploited.
The commissioner went on to explain how prop bets can incite dangerous behavior from fans. This is true even when their teams are winning. He said, “It’s often the case that your team wins and a player scores 25 points, but the fan, the bettor, had bet that the player was going to score 28 points or 30 points.”
During his interview with McAfee, Silver once again expressed the need for a more uniform industry regulatory framework. He stated, “I think, probably, there should be more regulation, frankly.” Above all else, he was most related to seeking federal legislation, not having a patchwork of state laws.
“I wish there was federal legislation rather than state by state. I think you’ve got to monitor the amount of promotion, the amount of advertising around it,” – Adam Silver
Silver reminded everyone of the importance of a carefully regulated framework for legalized betting. He noted that this framework opens up to monitoring opportunities that were previously unthinkable.
“With this regulated structure of legalized betting, we can monitor it in ways that were unimaginable years ago,” – Adam Silver
The NBA can only afford to flail in the dark right now. Silver’s support for stricter regulation reflects the desire to protect the integrity of the game but acknowledges the realities that accompany legalized sports betting.
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