The NBA and its official sports betting partners are scrutinizing player prop bets following recent gambling scandals, focusing on the types most susceptible to manipulation and what restrictions should be applied, insiders informed ESPN.
Sensitive Bets, on the Table
Before the season started, the league identified missed free throws, fouls, and turnovers as particularly risky and requested that sportsbooks refrain from offering bets on these events.
FanDuel and DraftKings have agreed to this. FanDuel has long avoided such bets, while DraftKings removed in-game free-throw wagers before the season began.
Ongoing discussions are addressing suitable limits for sensitive wagers. “Prop bets on individual player performance can raise heightened integrity concerns and warrant additional scrutiny,” an NBA spokesperson told ESPN.
The focus on props intensified after veteran guard Terry Rozier was indicted for allegedly conspiring with gamblers. Federal authorities claim Rozier informed a friend of his intention to leave a March 2023 game early.
The friend reportedly sold this information, resulting in about $100,000 in bets. Rozier played just over nine minutes, citing a foot injury, leading to a surge of bets on the under for his stats, totaling $257,700 across several sites.
A DraftKings spokesperson noted, “Recent events demonstrate that the regulated sports betting industry is working as intended, fostering collaboration between operators, leagues, regulators, law enforcement, and integrity monitoring services.”
FanDuel emphasized similar precautions, stating that its risk and trading teams closely monitor games and collaborate with the NBA to eliminate high-risk bets, including props on players with two-way or 10-day contracts.
Dangerous Blind Spot
The NBA’s concern over props isn’t new. Before this season, it asked sportsbooks to avoid bets on players with two-way or 10-day contracts following the banning of former Raptors center Jontay Porter for game manipulation. Some bettors from the Porter case are connected to Rozier’s scheme.
Player props have gained popularity, especially for parlays, but the NBA can only influence licensed sportsbooks. Meanwhile, daily fantasy operators, prediction markets, and offshore platforms operate with less oversight. Jeremy Kudon, president of the Sports Betting Alliance, warned that fully banning prop bets could drive more activity to unregulated platforms, creating “a dangerous blind spot” for leagues and regulators trying to protect game integrity.
- SCCG Management. The Gambling Industry’s Global Connector. Access Here.
- Source: SCCGManagement.com