David Purdum, ESPN
In the aftermath of the Jontay Porter betting scandal, the NBA and its partner sportsbooks are discussing changes to betting menus to combat similar occurrences in the future, sources familiar with the talks confirmed to ESPN.
Among the changes that have been discussed is prohibiting betting on players on two-way contracts between the G League and the NBA, sources said. More extreme measures such as not allowing bets on the “under” on a player prop have been considered, sources said, but there are concerns that restricting wager types could push bettors into the unregulated betting market.
The NBA has commercial contracts with sportsbooks such as BetMGM, DraftKings and FanDuel that give the league some influence on what types of wagers are offered.
Gambling industry site Legal Sports Report first reported the talks between the NBA and sportsbooks.
“Since states began legalizing sports betting in 2018, we have worked closely with betting operators as well as integrity monitoring organizations to put in place essential monitoring and reporting systems so that we are best positioned to identify potential betting anomalies and to act to protect the integrity of our game,” an NBA spokesperson said in a statement to ESPN.
DraftKings, FanDuel and BetMGM did not respond to ESPN’s request for comment.
Commissioner Adam Silver banned Porter from the NBA on April 17. Porter has not commented publicly on the allegations.
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