Jontay Porter of the Toronto Raptors has been handed a lifetime ban from the NBA after it was found that he had violated rules by disclosing confidential information to sport bettors.
Towards the end of last month, it was reported that the NBA had decided to “look into” prop bet abnormalities regarding Porter with DraftKings Sportsbook said to have flagged prop bets on two specific games.
The investigation carried out by the NBA found that the basketball player had disclosed confidential information related to his health, prior to the Raptors having a game on March 20, to an individual who he knew was an NBA bettor.
Another individual who was also associated with Porter, and was a known NBA bettor, placed a $80,000 parlay proposition bet with an online sportsbook related to Porter underperforming in the game on March 20.
On top of this, the investigation found that Porter had limited his own game participation to influence the outcome of bets surrounding his performance, the game on March 20 saw him play for only three minutes, owing to what he claimed was illness.
Porter has also been said to have placed at least 13 bets on NBA games using an associate’s online betting account. Three of the bets were multi-game parlay bets that included Porter betting on one game that the Raptors would lose.
The NBA has said the league’s investigation remains open and may result in further findings.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said: “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.
“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.”
