The NBA is banning several types of sports bets that players could exploit by deliberately underperforming or leaving games early.
The league instructed authorized sportsbook partners, including DraftKings and FanDuel, to stop offering the wagers beginning this season, according to a memo obtained by ESPN. Among the prohibited wagers are parlays that combine multiple bets on the same player falling short of specified statistical totals.
The regular season officially tips off on Tuesday.
One such wager was part of the gambling scandal involving former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter, who admitted he intentionally removed himself from games to benefit bettors during the 2023-24 season. Porter was banned for life from the NBA in 2024.
Federal prosecutors said a bettor placed an $80,000 parlay on the unders for six of Porter’s statistics in a March 2024 game against the Sacramento Kings. The wager would have paid approximately $1.1 million. Porter played just three minutes before leaving the game.
The new restrictions also prohibit bets on the winner of the opening tip, whether players will miss specific shots, and under bets on players expected to play fewer than 12 minutes a given game.
“There’s a balance between ensuring that we are removing problematic bet types but also ensuring that we don’t just move activity into the illegal market,” NBA executive vice president Scott Kaufman-Ross told ESPN. He said the league believes its new restrictions strike the right balance.
Federal authorities have also accused former Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier of conspiring with associates to profit from nonpublic information about his performance in a March 2023 game, when he played for the Charlotte Hornets. Prosecutors allege Rozier left after approximately nine minutes, allowing bettors to capitalize on wagers involving his statistical unders. Rozier has pleaded not guilty and denied wrongdoing.
Kaufman-Ross said the Porter and Rozier cases helped inform the league’s decision to prohibit parlays involving multiple unders on the same player. The league also directed sportsbooks to stop offering alternate under lines with larger potential payouts.
The NBA had previously restricted certain wagers involving players on two-way contracts after the Porter scandal came to light. Other existing restrictions cover bets involving turnovers, fouls, and missed free throws.
The latest rules will also extend to WNBA games beginning in 2027, according to the Associated Press.
A separate memo requires players, coaches, and training staffs to attend in-person training on the league’s sports betting rules. Former NFL player and retired FBI agent Charles Tillman will lead the sessions, according to the memo.
The league also told teams it has developed an artificial intelligence-based monitoring platform to detect unusual betting activity by analyzing injury reports, social media, and wagering patterns, according to the AP.
To address harassment and threats from bettors, the NBA will offer players an optional service that identifies and helps remove abusive social media messages, while a new text-message hotline will allow harassment and threats to be reported securely.
DraftKings said it supports the league’s efforts, adding that some of the restrictions already reflect its practices. FanDuel said it remains committed to a regulated market that roots out abuses.
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