The NBA has banned Toronto two-way player Jontay Porter after a league investigation found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors and placed bets on games.
The league said in a statement Wednesday that an investigation revealed Porter disclosed confidential information about his own health status to a person he knew was an NBA gambler prior to a March 20 game against the Sacramento Kings. Another individual Porter also knew he was an NBA gambler and then made an $80,000 parlay bet at an online sportsbook to win $1.1 million, betting that Porter would underperform in the game, according to the League.
Porter played three minutes against Sacramento and claimed he felt sick. The player’s unusual gambling activities and actions led to the bet being frozen and not paid out.
The suspicious bets in the March 20 game were brought to the NBA’s attention by licensed sports betting operators and an organization that oversees legal gambling markets.
The NBA also said that Porter, the brother of Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., placed at least 13 bets on NBA games from January through March while traveling with the Raptors or their G-League affiliate. These bets ranged in size from $15 to $22,000 for a total of $54,904. The total payout from these bets was $76,059, resulting in a net profit of $21,965. None of the bets involved games in which Porter played.
According to the league, three of the bets were parlay bets on multiple games, including one Raptors game, in which he bet Toronto would lose.
“There is nothing more important than protecting the integrity of the NBA league for our fans, our teams and everyone involved in our sport. That’s why Jontay Porter’s flagrant violations of our Laws of the Game will be met with the most severe penalties,” said NBA Commissioner Adam. Silver said.
He added: “While legal sports betting creates transparency that helps identify suspicious or abnormal activity, this issue also raises important questions about the adequacy of the current regulatory framework, including the types of bets offered on our games and players. Working closely with all relevant industry stakeholders, we will continue to work hard to safeguard our competition and our game.”
More to follow.