NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Tuesday he believes there should be more regulations on legal sports betting.
Key Takeaways
- Silver has been a supporter of legalized sports betting for more than a decade.
- The NBA has asked some of its sports betting partners to dial back their prop betting markets.
- Silver banned Jontay Porter for life last year for violating the league’s sports betting policy.
The NBA was an early adopter of legalized sports betting. It became the first American professional sports federation to secure a gambling partner by agreeing to terms with MGM Resorts International, a co-owner of the BetMGM sportsbook app, in July 2018.
Silver, who was named NBA commissioner in February 2014, also penned an op-ed titled “Legalize and Regulate Sports Betting” that was published in the New York Times in November of that year.
Despite that history of support, he believes reforms are needed.
“We accept betting is legal. ... It’s unlikely to go away,” Silver said on "The Pat McAfee Show" on Tuesday. “I think, probably, there should be more regulation, frankly. That may be surprising to hear from me.”
Silver noted that part of his frustration stems from the lack of federal oversight, allowing states to individually determine if sports betting is legal and how their market will work.
He maintained the NBA needs to “protect its competitors” and “protect the environment in the arena.”
The NBA’s chief decision-maker also expanded on what reforms he’d like to see, calling out prop bets and advertising.
“I think you got to monitor promotion, the amount of advertising around it,” Silver said. “You know, it’s not completely in our control, but we’ve asked some of our partners to pull back some of the prop bets. Especially when they are two-way players, guys who don’t have the same stake in the competition. It’s too easy to manipulate something which seems otherwise small and inconsequential to the overall score.”
More equipped to deal with dangers
The NBA was rocked with one of the biggest betting scandals in the 21st century last March.
Former Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter, who was on a two-way contract, knowingly conspired with sports bettors to limit his participation in two games, against the Los Angeles Clippers on Jan. 26 and the Sacramento Kings on March 20.
Both times Porter left the game early in the fourth quarter, citing a previously undisclosed illness in one contest and an aggravated eye injury in the other.
Silver handed a permanent ban to Porter in April 2024.
“We’re trying to put in place and learning as we go, and working with the betting companies, some additional control, to prevent some of that manipulation,” said Silver.
While there are ever-present concerns for leagues related to sports betting, regulatory developments have made them more equipped to deal with potential threats.
Integrity companies such as IC360 and U.S. Integrity help monitor sportsbooks for irregular betting activity from customers. If any wagers raise red flags, these companies can alert sportsbooks and sports leagues of potential danger.
“With this regulated structure of legalized betting, we can monitor it in ways that were unimaginable years ago,” said Silver.
Protecting athletes from abuse
Professional leagues have also seen a significant uptick in abuse of their athletes from sports bettors.
A surge in harassment played a role in NCAA president Charlie Baker campaigning for state gaming regulators to completely remove college player prop betting markets.
Jalen Brunson and other NBA players have also spoken about the abuse they receive, which includes threats of violence and death.