The National Basketball Association (NBA) is embroiled in an integrity scandal of epic proportions. This comes on the heels of Jontay Porter’s suspension for his alleged role in a gambling operation that involved colluding to influence player performance. Porter, who has a two-way contract with the Toronto Raptors, admitted he did that in at least two games this season. He accomplished this so that the betting public could profit from bets made against his failing to live up to expectations.
The NBA’s reaction to this issue should be commended. With a new 2024-25 season on the horizon, the league just upped the ante significantly. Specifically, it has told sportsbooks not to take betting lines on any players who’re on two-way or 10-day contracts. The aim is to minimize any chance of the manipulation of game results, made more important by events from past scandals.
Porter’s situation is not isolated. Charles wasn’t the only NBA player recently caught in a betting storm, as Charlotte Hornets guard Terry Rozier had his own betting scandal. Rozier’s nine minutes played in a game, before leaving with a foot injury, was the least of his professional career. One Mississippi bettor hit the national spotlight after he placed 30 separate bets in one go. Each bet was on the under for Rozier’s stats, for a truly incredible total of $13,759. According to the indictment, gamblers could legally bet $257,700 on Rozier’s individual performance stats for that specific game.
Then information came to light showing that Rozier had actually told a childhood friend about his plans to leave the game early. This alleged friend sold this insider stuff to gamblers for about $100,000. Interestingly, several of the same players who helped Porter’s betting scheme were names referenced in the indictment against Rozier.
The NBA has identified specific bets that are most vulnerable to corruption. These bets extend to things like missed free throws, fouls called and turnovers. In some instances, the league has instructed its official sportsbook partners from taking bets on these markets. This guidance is especially welcome with storm season fast approaching. Although FanDuel has refrained from offering wagers on players making or missing free throws in previous seasons, DraftKings has provided in-game betting options for such wagers.
“Recent events demonstrate that the regulated sports betting industry is working as intended — fostering an environment of collaboration between operators, leagues, regulators, law enforcement and integrity monitoring services to help uncover suspicious activity,” – DraftKings spokesperson.
The continued integrity of the game continues to be of the utmost importance to the NBA. A spokesperson for the league stated, “Prop bets on individual player performance can raise heightened integrity concerns and warrant additional scrutiny.” This kind of sentiment is a major red flag betting-related activities that threaten the integrity of games.
In response to these incidents, FanDuel stressed its desire to work closely with the NBA. “From the start, our collaboration with the NBA has helped us determine what bets not to offer, like fouls, turnovers or missed free throws, and in partnership with the league, we’ve been able to evolve our offering, including removing props on players with two-way or ten-day contracts,” said a spokesperson for FanDuel.
Looking beyond these specific scandals, it is unclear what the broader implications are for sports betting and player integrity. Jeremy Kudon, president of the Sports Betting Alliance (SBA), commented on the situation: “That creates a dangerous blind spot for regulators and leagues, preventing them from effectively identifying and addressing threats to game integrity.”
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