NBA Players’ Association Supports Stricter Prop Betting Regulations

The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) have expressed support for tighter regulations on prop betting in response to a wave of gambling-related scandals that have shaken professional basketball.

NBPA Supports NBA’s Decision on Prop Bets

This action follows the banning of former Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter, who pleaded guilty to a federal felony for manipulating his performance to benefit bettors in prop bets. Prop betting enables gamblers to place wagers on specific player statistics, like points scored and other individual performance measures during games. Representatives from both the league and the NBPA stated their support for additional restrictions on the types of prop bets that sportsbooks are allowed to offer for NBA games.

An NBA spokesperson emphasized that protecting the integrity of the game is paramount and expressed the belief that reasonable limitations on certain prop bets deserve careful consideration. They added that any measures should focus on minimizing the risk of performance manipulation while still allowing fans to place prop bets through legal, regulated markets.

Meanwhile, an NBPA spokesperson stated that NBA players compete at the highest level with utmost integrity and are increasingly concerned that prop bets have become a troubling source of player harassment, both online and in person. They added that if stricter regulations can help reduce this abuse, the union supports examining such measures more closely.

Since sports betting was legalized in the United States seven years ago, prop betting has become somewhat controversial, with some players experiencing abuse from bettors after losing their wagers. As a result, some states have considered banning prop bets in part or altogether. For example, earlier this month, Ohio’s Governor called for banning prop bets as cases where bettors harass players who lost matches (and the bettors subsequently lost money) are getting more common.

How Prop Bets Might Alter a Player’s Performance?

Michael Porter Jr., brother of Jontay Porter, recently spoke about the temptation NBA players may face to manipulate their performances for the benefit of others. He explained on a podcast that people often get angry at those involved in sports betting, 

Michael suggested a scenario where a player could make their friends rich by encouraging them to bet large amounts on their performance, by pretending to be injured and sitting out part of a game before returning, allowing the bettors to profit. He acknowledged that while this behavior is unacceptable, some players might consider it, especially if they come from difficult backgrounds and want to help their friends financially. Michael also added that the entire sports gambling environment is problematic and expected to worsen, noting that players sometimes receive death threats.