The National Basketball Association (NBA) has banned Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter from the league for gambling on games and feigning illness to influence a wager.
The NBA-led investigation revealed Porter violated league rules by disclosing confidential information to sports bettors, limiting his playing time in one or more games
to influence a wager. He was also discovered to have placed bets on NBA games.“There is nothing more important than protecting the integrity of NBA competition for our fans, our teams and everyone
associated with our sport, which is why Jontay Porter’s blatant violations of our gaming rules are being met with the most severe punishment,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a written statement. “While legal sports betting creates transparency that helps identify suspicious or abnormal activity, this matter also raises important issues about the sufficiency of the regulatory framework currently in place, including the types of bets offered on our games and players. Working closely with all relevant stakeholders across the industry, we will continue to work diligently to safeguard our league and game.”After getting tips from licensed sports betting operators and an organization that monitors legal betting markets, the NBA started investigating after Raptors’ March 20 game. The league was tipped off because of Porter’s performance during the contest. It was discovered before the game, that he had given confidential information about his playing status to an NBA bettor. Someone Porter knew placed an “$80,000 parlay proposition bet” with an online sportsbook, to win $1.1 million. The bet was placed that Porter would underperform in the March 20 game.
The investigation also concluded that Porter limited his playing time by claiming he did not feel well. He only ended up playing three minutes. Due to the unusual betting activity and Porter’s limited time, the $80,000 proposition bet was frozen and was not paid out.
The league also found that Porter placed at least 13 bets on NBA games using someone else’s online betting account between January and March while traveling with the Raptors or their NBA G League affiliate, the Raptors 905. He set wagers of $15 to $22,000, for $54,094. He won $76,059, making a profit of $21,965.
None of the bets were on games he played. Three bets he placed were multi-game parlay bets that included one Raptors game. He placed bets that the Raptors would lose but lost on the wagers.
The league says the investigation remains open and “may result in further findings.” The NBA has also shared its information with federal prosecutors.