The NBA has issued a league-wide memo outlining steps to limit the flow of nonpublic injury information, escalating its response to a series of gambling scandals involving players and coaches.
The NBA betting memo, first reported by ESPN, reflects growing concern that inside information, particularly around player injuries, rest decisions, and availability, has become increasingly vulnerable to exploitation amid the rapid expansion of U.S. sports betting. At the center of the league’s response is a straightforward objective: reduce the information that reaches select bettors before it becomes public.
Under the proposed changes, teams would be required to submit a game-day injury report between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. local time, then update public injury reports on NBA.com every 15 minutes if a player’s status changes. Teams currently update injury reports on an hourly basis.
NBA betting draws congressional scrutiny
The memo follows a series of federal indictments tied to organized gambling rings that allegedly exploited inside NBA information and prompted congressional attention.
In November, veteran guard Terry Rozier was charged with tipping off a mafia-linked betting group that he planned to exit a game early due to injury, allowing bettors to place large wagers on his statistical underperformance before sportsbooks moved lines. In a separate indictment, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups and former Cleveland Cavaliers assistant coach Damon Jones were charged in connection with mafia-backed rigged poker games. Prosecutors allege Jones and a coconspirator, whose description matches Billups’, provided nonpublic player availability and injury information to bettors before it became public.
The investigation that ensnared Rozier, also exposed former NBA journeyman Jontay Porter, who pleaded guilty to manipulating his own performance across multiple games during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. The NBA permanently banned Porter last year.
Following the indictments, bipartisan leaders of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee requested a briefing with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to discuss the league’s response.
Prop bets under further review
NBA plans to advocate for additional restrictions, outlined in its memo to teams, such as:
- Lower wagering limits on prop bets
- Limitations or bans on “under” bets
- Fewer players offered in prop markets
- Eliminating bets that can be decided by a single play
“Core to the NBA’s position is that sports leagues should have control over the types of bets offered on their games,” the memo states, while acknowledging any changes would require negotiations with sportsbooks, state regulators, lawmakers, or some combination of the three.
Sportsbooks have already adjusted some offerings. After Porter’s lifetime ban, major operators agreed to stop offering player prop bets on athletes signed to two-way contracts or 10-day deals, citing elevated integrity risk tied to fringe roster players.
The NBA is not alone in reassessing betting products tied to integrity concerns. Following federal indictments involving MLB pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz, Major League Baseball pushed sportsbooks to cap certain live microbetting markets, including wagers on the next pitch, and prohibit those bets from being included in parlays.
Tanking and disclosure risk
The NBA memo also addresses tanking, a long-running league concern that has taken on added relevance in betting markets.
Federal prosecutors allege a coconspirator tied to Billups told a bettor that Portland planned to rest star players and prioritize draft position ahead of a March 2023 game against the Chicago Bulls, before that information became public.
The NBA has already taken steps to reduce incentives to tank, including flattening draft lottery odds to decrease the advantage of finishing with the league’s worst record. The memo indicates the league is now considering further changes to draft pick protections and lottery mechanics.
A recent poll from the Washington Post and the University of Maryland found that 66% of Americans said the increase in sports betting availability makes them very or somewhat concerned about the possibility of games being fixed or rigged, down from 73% in 2022.
