B/R
The NBA and sportsbooks including FanDuel and DraftKings are taking steps to further protect the integrity of the league following the scandal involving former Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter.
ESPN’s David Purdum reported Friday that FanDuel and DraftKings are among the sportsbooks that will no longer offer “under” prop bets for those NBA players who are in the league on two-way or 10-day contracts.
The NBA discussed such options with the sportsbooks after Porter was banned from the league.
“We are pleased that these actions have been taken to help protect the integrity of our games,” an NBA spokesperson said.
As Purdum explained, sportsbooks flagged suspicious betting behavior regarding Porter’s prop bets for a Jan. 26 game against the Los Angeles Clippers and a March 20 game against the Sacramento Kings. There was an inordinate amount of betting action on a player of his caliber, which became all the more notable when he left each contest after playing just a handful of minutes.
Porter was eventually banned from the NBA following an investigation, and he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud on July 10.
His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 18 in New York.
Porter, who is the brother of Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., played just 37 games in his NBA career for the Memphis Grizzlies and Raptors. He made five total starts and was never more than a role player for either team.
Sports betting has become far more prevalent in today’s world, and many of the major professional leagues have partnerships with sportsbooks. There have also been a prevalence of headlines regarding various scandals.
In addition to the Porter situation, San Diego Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano was suspended for life from Major League Baseball for gambling activities he undertook when he was with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
There was also the investigation into Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, which revealed he stole money from the Los Angeles Dodgers star to pay off gambling debts.
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