NBA superstar Devin Booker is betting big on Super Bowl LX with a wager on Fanatics Sportsbook, as the world’s premier basketball league is shrouded in gambling controversies.
Booker, a four-time NBA All-Star, placed a $1 million bet on the Seattle Seahawks to cover the current –3.5 point spread set by Fanatics against the New England Patriots on Feb. 8 at Levi’s Stadium. If the Seahawks cover, Booker will pocket $1.8 million.
Booker’s $1 million bet is among the projected $1.5 billion in wagers that will be placed by Americans on Super Bowl LX, Citizens Equity Research analyst Jordan Bender estimates in a report obtained by SBC Americas. The projection is a roughly 2% year-over-year decline despite launch of online sports betting in Missouri last month.
Booker is taking advantage of NBA gambling rules
Booker is allowed to wager on the NFL, as the NBA has an active coach and player embroiled in separate gambling scandals tied to performance manipulation and a Mafia-backed, rigged poker scheme. In 2024, the league also handed a lifetime ban to former Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter for providing insider information to pay back gambling debts. Despite the gambling woes, Booker placed action on The Big Game.
The NBA’s active gambling rules prohibit officials, league members and players from wagering on all league competition. The ban includes exhibition, regular season and playoff games both domestic and international. The NBA also extends its ban on NBA competition to its affiliated leagues, which include the WNBA, G League and 2K League.
The NBA also prohibits proxy wagering, preventing players from asking others to wager on league competition for them. Players, league members and officials are also barred from encouraging anyone else, including family, to wager on the NBA or affiliated leagues.
The NBA also has a standard for partnerships and ownership interests in gambling companies for players and league members. Players are allowed to have an ownership interest in a gaming company if it is disclosed to the league and is a less than 1% stake.
NBA proposes policy changes
The NBA allows non-league wagering and deals with gambling brands, but is considering policy changes amid its gambling controversies. Last month, the league sent a memo to all 30 teams, proposing and implementing changes. The NBA implemented a change to its injury reporting rules, requiring teams to submit midday reports on game days. In the memo, the league proposed bet amount and player limits on “under” props.
Kendall Jenner teams up with Fanatics for Super Bowl
Booker’s former girlfriend, model and business owner Kendall Jenner, also placed a large wager on Super Bowl LX through Fanatics, going against the Phoenix Suns guard.
Jenner is backing the Patriots to win with her own $1 million, which could net $2.9 million. Fanatics recently debuted a TV spot for its sportsbook operations featuring Jenner. The ad is part of a broader “Bet on Kendall” campaign that will include a Super Bowl commercial.
