The Jontay Porter Rule: NBA and betting partners will not take prop bets on low-salary players

Posted by Admin October 19, 2024 NBA

Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter was issued a lifetime ban from the NBA for violating the league’s gambling policy. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua via Getty Images)

The NBA’s betting partners will not offer “under” or prop bets on players making the lowest salaries or working on a two-way or 10-day contract, according to The Athletic. This agreement includes major sports books, including FanDuel, DraftKings and BetMGM.

“We are pleased that these actions have been taken to help protect the integrity of our games,” the NBA said in a statement released on Friday.

Call it “The Jontay Porter Rule,” though the NBA likely won’t refer to it that way. Porter, 24, was issued a lifetime ban at the end of last season for violating the league’s gambling policy.

“A league investigation found that Porter violated league rules by disclosing confidential information to sports bettors, limiting his own participation in one or more games for betting purposes, and betting on NBA games,” the league said in a statement released on April 17.

Playing for the Toronto Raptors and their G League affiliate on a two-way contract that paid him approximately $50,000, Porter represents the type of lower-salary player who might be attracted to participate in a gambling scheme in which he would deliberately affect the outcome of wagers placed on him.

The NBA found in an investigation that Porter was involved in multiple betting irregularities over the course of several months.

“The first game took place on Jan. 26, when the Raptors took on the Los Angeles Clippers. Porter played just four minutes in that game, and then left due to an eye injury he sustained days earlier. Porter finished with no points, three rebounds, one assist and did not attempt a 3-pointer — which allowed the under to hit on all four of those categories. The under on Porter’s 3-pointers was the biggest money winner for bettors on all NBA props that day through DraftKings Sportsbook, according to ESPN.”

Additionally, the league discovered in its investigation that Porter gave confidential information on his health to “an individual known to be an NBA bettor” before Toronto’s March 20 game with the Sacramento Kings.

Someone else associated with Porter wagered that the player would underperform in the game as part of an $80,000 parlay with an online sports book. Porter ensured that he wouldn’t play well, pulling himself from the game by saying he was ill after playing just three minutes.

The NBA also found that Porter placed at least 13 bets on games with another individual’s gambling account from January through March 2024. Though Porter did not bet on any games in which he played, he bet on the Raptors to lose in a parlay bet. The wagers ranged from $15 to $22,000, totaling $54,094. Porter earned nearly $22,000 from the wagers, according to the NBA.