Limiting player prop markets for lesser-salaried players could be a way for the NBA and its partners to attempt to prevent another sports betting incident similar to Jontay Porter from occurring in the future.
Porter was on a two-way contract with the Toronto Raptors when he received a lifetime ban for violating the league’s sports betting policy.
Sources familiar with the situation told LSR this week they believe that conversations on the matter will take place prior to next season.
NBA betting player prop limits
Such a framework between the NBA and legal sportsbooks could include the possibility of prohibiting markets for players on:
- 10-day contracts
- Two-way deals
- Minimum salaries
- Rookie-scale contracts (though it would make sense for a player like Victor Wembanyama to be eligible)
The thinking is that those players are more susceptible to what Porter did than max-salaried stars like LeBron James and Stephen Curry.
Why Porter received lifetime ban
A league investigation found that Porter bet on his own team to lose.
He also violated league rules by giving inside information to bettors.
Additionally, he limited his own participation in a game for betting purposes, and wagered on NBA games, which is prohibited.
Legal sports betting system catch for NBA
In this instance, the league was able to catch Porter through the legal, regulated system. Licensed sportsbooks and the NBA’s integrity monitor flagged suspicious bets relating to Porter in March.
“We are in regular communication throughout the year with players and team and league personnel to reinforce the rules regarding sports betting,” the NBA said in a statement to LSR. “Since states began legalizing sports betting in 2018, we have worked closely with betting operators as well as integrity monitoring organizations to put in place essential monitoring and reporting systems so that we are best positioned to identify potential betting anomalies and to act to protect the integrity of our game.”
Partnerships make openness a must
Given the business relationships between the leagues, teams and sportsbooks, transparency is imperative. The league and its players are splitting a projected $167 million in gambling-related revenue for this season.
Multiple teams have been fined for improper injury reporting in 2023-24.
NBA players are not allowed to bet on the league or any of its properties. However, they are allowed to wager on other sports.
