The NBA and its players’ union support restrictions on certain prop bets, amid growing concerns around game integrity and harassment from disgruntled gamblers.
“Protecting the integrity of our game is paramount, and we believe reasonable limitations on certain prop bets should be given due consideration,” the league said in a statement to ESPN. “Any approach should aim to reduce the risk of performance manipulation while ensuring that fans who wish to place prop bets can continue to do so via legal, regulated markets.”
That warning comes a week after Nets forward Michael Porter Jr. became the first active player to publicly acknowledge how ripe prop betting is for manipulation. Porter’s brother, Jontay, was banned from the NBA last summer after admitting he faked injuries and left games early so associates could cash in on his unders.
Two other NBA players, Terry Rozier and Malik Beasley, have also been linked to federal gambling probes, though neither has been charged with wrongdoing.
Further NBA betting restrictions
After Porter’s ban, the NBA’s sports betting partners agreed to stop listing prop bets on players on two-way contracts, which Porter was playing on at the time and the lowest amount an active player can make. But now it seems the league wants to go even further, as the call for prop bet reform intensifies nationwide.
The NBA Players Association echoed the league’s concerns, pointing not only to manipulation risks but also to the rising tide of abuse directed at athletes tied to betting outcomes.
“[Players] are concerned that prop bets have become an increasingly alarming source of player harassment, both online and in person,” the NBPA said. “If tighter regulations can help minimize that abuse, then we support taking a closer look at them.”
States seek own player prop bet limits
Ohio regulators are drafting rules that would prohibit micro bets, wagers on specific moments or actions within a game, after two Cleveland Guardians players were named in gambling investigations. Gov. Mike DeWine followed with a statement urging all major leagues and their unions to ban player props outright.
In New Jersey, lawmakers proposed legislation earlier this summer that would restrict certain props in professional sports, adding momentum to a trend that already reached college sports last year.
Several states banned college player props in 2024, after lobbying by the NCAA, which linked them to harassment and integrity concerns.
Fallout from banning player props bets
Depending on the sport, up to half of all wagers at some sportsbooks are player props, according to analysts at Citizens. They’re also a key driver of same-game parlays, which account for more than 60% of all bets in some states, according to Morgan Stanley.
Critics warn that banning them outright could backfire by pushing players to offshore sites, where suspicious betting activity is far harder to detect.
Industry groups like the American Gaming Association argue that scandals like Jontay Porter’s prove the value of regulated markets: where legal sportsbooks flagged the unusual betting, integrity monitors reported it, and authorities were able to act.
