Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter received a lifetime ban Wednesday for violating NBA betting policy, the league announced.
The league had been investigating suspicious NBA betting activity surrounding player props involving Porter, who was ultimately found to have wagered on his own team to lose.
The investigation also found that Porter “violated league rules by disclosing confidential information to sports bettors, limiting his own participation in or more games for betting purposes, and betting on NBA games.”
The NBA said it will “continue to share information with federal prosecutors on this matter.”
Porter gave inside NBA betting info
At the center of the league’s findings is that Porter gave inside information to an NBA bettor about his health status on March 20. Porter played just three minutes in the game before pulling himself from the game because of illness.
With that inside information, another associate of Porter’s placed an $80,000 parlay with an online sportsbook to win $1.1 million, as all of his unders hit. The prop bet was frozen and not paid out, however, because of the unusual betting activity.
The suspicious bets on March 20 were flagged by licensed sportsbooks and integrity monitoring service US Integrity.
Data on Porter’s NBA betting activity
The probe also found that from January-March 2024, Porter:
- Placed at least 13 bets on NBA games using an associate’s online sportsbook account.
- The bets ranged from $15 to $22,000, totaling $54,094.
- The total payout was $76,059, resulting in a net win of $21,965.
- Porter did not bet on any game in which he played.
- Porter made three multi-team parlay bets, one of which included the Raptors to lose. He lost all three parlays.
No Porter NBA bets at FanDuel
An industry source told LSR the following pieces of information:
- Porter did not place any NBA bets on FanDuel.
- His FanDuel account was suspended before he signed with the Raptors.
- His associate’s $80,000 parlay was not on FanDuel.
The Action Network previously reported that Porter bet millions on a FanDuel Sportsbook VIP account in Colorado from 2021-23.
Gambling rules for NBA players
NBA players are prohibited from betting on the NBA or any of its properties. However, they are allowed to wager on other sports.
Before the ban, Commissioner Adam Silver called the allegations surrounding Porter “a cardinal sin.”
“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,” Silver said Wednesday in a statement.
“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 league and game.”
Teams fined for improper injury reports
Multiple teams have received fines for improper injury reporting this season.
The league and players are splitting a projected $167 million in gambling-related revenue.
Transparency is important, as there are business relationships between the league, teams and sportsbooks.
