While the NFL has had a fair number more controversies, it is the NBA who is the first league to permanently ban a player for sports betting in the post-PASPA era. Today, the league announced that Jontay Porter will never again play for an NBA team after both betting on basketball and passing on insider information so others could bet on basketball.
Last month the NBA said it was investigating Porter after there was suspicious activity related to Porter’s play as a Toronto Raptor in games on Jan. 26 and March 20. The investigation concluded that prior to the March 20 game, Porter told a known NBA bettor about his health status. That bettor subsequently wagered $80,000 on a Porter-centric SGP that would pay out $1.1 million.
The investigation also determined Porter deliberately limited his participation in the game to ensure the under on all the legs of that parlay would cash.
In addition to divulging information, the league concluded Porter used an associate to place 13 bets on NBA games ranging in size from $15 to $22,000 so far in 2024. While those bets did not involve individual Porter Props or games Porter played in, one bet was a parlay that did include a leg that the Raptors would lose a game.
“There is nothing more important than protecting the integrity of NBA competition for our fans, our teams and everyone associated with our sport, which is why Jontay Porter’s blatant violations of our gaming rules are being met with the most severe punishment. While legal sports betting creates transparency that helps identify suspicious or abnormal activity, this matter also raises important issues about the sufficiency of the regulatory framework currently in place, including the types of bets offered on our games and players. Working closely with all relevant stakeholders across the industry, we will continue to work diligently to safeguard our leagues and game,” said NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
In addition to banning Porter from the league, the NBA also said it is sharing the results of the investigation with federal prosecutors.
Earlier this week, The Action Network broke the news that Porter opened a sports betting account in his own name on FanDuel Sportsbook in Colorado when he was playing in the NBA G League. According to the site, Porter wagered over 1,000 time with the sportsbook but did not bet on NBA action.
NBA players are not expressly banned from wagering in general, but per league rules, they are prohibited from wagering on the NBA.
