NBA bans Toronto Raptors’ Jontay Porter for violating gambling rules

Porter violated league rules by disclosing confidential information to sports bettors and placing bets.

US.- The Toronto Raptors’ Jontay Porter has been banned by the National Basketball Association (NBA). A league investigation found that Porter violated league rules by disclosing confidential information to sports bettors, limiting his participation in one or more games for betting purposes and betting on NBA games.

The NBA investigation found that before the Raptors’ March 20 game, Porter disclosed confidential information about his health status to a person he knew to be an NBA bettor. Another person with whom Porter subsequently placed an $80,000 parlay proposition bet with an online sportsbook wagering that Porter would underperform in the March 20 game to win $1.1m.

Porter was found to have limited his game participation to influence the outcome of one or more bets on his performance in at least one Raptors game. On the March 20 game, Porter played three minutes, claiming that he felt ill.  The $80,000 proposition bet was frozen and was not paid out.

From January through March 2024, Porter was found to have placed at least 13 bets on NBA games using an associate’s online betting account. The bets totalled $54,094, ranging from $15 to $22,000, with the total payout being $76,059, resulting in net winnings of $21,965. None of the bets involved any game in which he played. Three of the bets were multi-game parlay bets that included one Raptors game, in which Porter bet that the Raptors would lose. 

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.”

The NBA has said the league’s investigation remains open and may result in further findings.