NBA 'under' prop bet wagers on two-way players dropped by some operators
Operators including FanDuel, ESPN Bet, and DraftKings end offer following the Jontay Porter scandal earlier this year
Several US operators have stopped offering the “under” on prop bets on NBA players who are on two-way or 10-day contracts, as the league moves to protect basketball’s integrity.
The move, first reported on ESPN, follows Jontay Porter’s lifetime ban in April after he was found to be involved in several irregular betting patterns, with large volumes being staked on unders on Porter prop bets.
An NBA investigation concluded that the former Toronto Raptors forward was supplying bettors with information about his health and leaving games early. In one incident, a bettor placed an $80,000 parlay prop bet that Porter would underperform his props.
Porter was on a two-way contract with the franchise, allegedly signing a one-year $559,782 deal, according to Salary Swish, compared to the millions earned by the household names across the league.
Following the incident, the NBA — alongside its major sportsbook partners FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, ESPN BET, and Caesars Sportsbook — discussed measures to prevent similar events happening again, resulting in the operators’ under bet suspension.
In a statement to ESPN, the league confirmed it had collaborated with its sportsbook partners to come to the decision.
An NBA spokesperson said: “We are pleased that these actions have been taken to help protect the integrity of our games.”
Last week, NBA commissioner Adam Silver spoke about the Porter scandal and the impact it had on the league, which returns tonight, October 22.
He said: “We take this very seriously. As I said [on] day one, it’s not a huge business for us in terms of a revenue stream into the league, but it makes a big difference in engagement. It’s something that people clearly enjoy doing.
“I’d put it in the category of other things in society that I wouldn’t criminalize them, but on the other hand that you have to heavily regulate them because if there’s not guardrails, people will run afoul and create issues, problems for themselves, potentially for their families or for operations like us.”
A DraftKings spokesperson told EGR North America: “DraftKings is in alignment with the NBA and we are thankful for the opportunity to engage with them on the topic. We look forward to tipoff and engaging with passionate NBA fans all season long.”
BetMGM also confirmed to EGR North America it was no longer offering the markets.