NBA Curbs Certain Sportsbook Props Ahead of New Season After Corruption Scandals

Four days before tipoff, the NBA told authorized sportsbooks to remove several bet types that federal investigations had already turned into a headache. For high-risk operators, the point is clear: if a wager is easy to influence with one player’s brief outing or one odd possession, it is now squarely in the league’s crosshairs.

1. The league ordered licensed books to stop offering certain markets, including some player-performance parlay bets that were at the center of recent federal fraud probes. The restrictions are aimed at reducing the risk of manipulation tied to specific in-game actions.
2. ESPN said the ban covers bets on the winner of the opening tip, on players to miss specific shots, and on under performance by players expected to play fewer than 12 minutes. Also prohibited: parlay bets that combine unders across multiple stats for the same player, such as points, rebounds, or assists.
3. Those markets are especially exposed because a short stint on the floor, or an early exit, can swing multiple bets at once. That is exactly the sort of structure regulators and leagues tend to dislike: concentrated risk, easy narrative, and not much room between a normal substitution and a bad headline.
4. Scott Kaufman-Ross, NBA executive vice president, told ESPN the league is trying to strike a balance between removing problematic bet types and not pushing action into the illegal market. He said the NBA believes it has reached the right balance at this point.
5. The NBA has the authority to restrict offerings from its sportsbook partners, which it estimates represent 99% of the U.S. market. FanDuel said in a statement sent to ESPN that it remains committed to building a legal and regulated market that removes abuses and protects competitive integrity.

The trigger for the clampdown was not abstract. Federal cases have already implicated NBA players Jontay Porter, formerly of the Toronto Raptors, and Terry Rozier, when he played for Charlotte Hornets. Prosecutors said a bettor wagered $80,000 that Porter would finish below projections in six statistical categories during a Toronto Raptors game in the 2023-24 season, and won $1.1 million. Porter, who left that game after just three minutes, admitted he exited to benefit bettors.