Multiple sportsbooks and the NBA are determining potential changes to player prop betting markets following the league’s latest scandal.
Key Takeaways
- The NBA and sportsbooks identified three stat categories vulnerable to manipulation prior to season.
- FanDuel and DraftKings are two sportsbooks reportedly collaborating with the league.
- Potential changes stem from the federal cases against Terry Rozier and Jontay Porter.
A week after federal authorities charged Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier with wire fraud for allegedly manipulating his playing time to help himself and others profit from his player prop unders ESPN reported on Thursday that sportsbooks and the NBA are reviewing stats that are vulnerable to manipulation.
They’re also working on betting limits on those markets to prevent performance manipulation after two scandals that have rocked the league.
“Prop bets on individual player performance can raise heightened integrity concerns and warrant additional scrutiny,” an NBA spokesperson said to ESPN.
The NBA informed sportsbooks that missed free throws, fouls, and turnovers are most easily manipulated before the season began, according to the report. FanDuel and DraftKings, partners of the NBA, both told the league that they would honor their request not to offer those markets.
FanDuel had not been allowing bettors to wager on those three stats in particular, while DraftKings offered free-throw wagering in-game, but not pregame.
Environment of collaboration
DraftKings told ESPN that its “fostering an environment of collaboration between operators, leagues, regulators, law enforcement, and integrity monitoring services to help uncover suspicious activity.”
FanDuel also said that it has an open dialogue with its pro basketball partner to address wagering issues.
“From the start, our collaboration with the NBA has helped us determine what bets not to offer, like fouls, turnovers, or missed free throws, and in partnership with the league, we've been able to evolve our offering, including removing props on players with two-way or ten-day contracts,” a FanDuel spokesperson told ESPN.
Cases against players
Rozier and Jontay Porter, a former Toronto Raptor, have both been charged with performance manipulation so their under props would hit for bettors. Rozier’s instance allegedly occurred in a March 2023 game when he played with the Charlotte Hornets. He left a game after nine minutes with a “supposed” injury. The game was flagged by sportsbooks after a bettor in Mississippi placed 30 bets totaling more than $13,000 on Rozier’s unders.
The NBA cleared Rozier of any wrongdoing, but a federal probe uncovered a scheme involving the player, his childhood friend, and multiple other defendants and co-conspirators.
The start of change
Three of the men involved also allegedly placed wagers on Porter, who pleaded guilty to wire fraud in July 2024. He was banned by the NBA in April 2024 for wagering on games and providing information to known bettors.
Porter removed himself from two games as part of a scheme. Several bettors placed wagers on his unders totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars after Porter told them he would manipulate his performance to pay off gambling debts.
The NBA responded immediately by getting sportsbooks to remove player props on athletes who were on 10-day or two-way contracts. The league also sent a memo to all 30 teams saying that it was reviewing injury policies and integrity monitoring after the Rozier case was announced.
