Photo Credit: David Zalubowski/AP
The National Basketball Association (NBA) has recently banned Jontay Porter, a Toronto Raptors player, from the league following an investigation that found him guilty of violating the league's betting rules. The investigation was opened in March after the NBA detected unusual betting patterns regarding Porter. The NBA's investigation revealed that Porter had disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, manipulated his participation in games for betting purposes, and placed bets on NBA games, thereby violating league rules.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver stated that the league takes the protection of NBA competition's integrity seriously and that Porter's actions were met with the strongest possible punishment. Silver also emphasized the need for a regulatory framework that is sufficient to ensure transparency and prevent similar incidents from happening in the future. The NBA stated that it would continue to work with all relevant stakeholders in the industry to safeguard the league and the game.
The league has shared and will continue to share information with federal prosecutors, and the investigation remains open, which could lead to further findings. The Toronto Raptors organization has expressed its full support for the league's decision and will continue to cooperate with the ongoing investigations.
During the investigation, it was discovered that Porter had shared confidential information about his health status with someone who he knew was an NBA bettor before a game on March 20. Subsequently, another person associated with Porter placed an $80,000 bet on the player underperforming in that game, which would have won $1.1 million. The $80,000 bet was suspended because of the unusual betting activity and Porter's actions.
The NBA also found that Porter influenced his participation in games to manipulate bets on his performance in Toronto games. Moreover, the league discovered that Porter had placed at least 13 bets on NBA games between January and March this year. The bets totaled $54,094, ranging from $15 to $22,000, with the total payout being $76,059, resulting in net winnings of $21,965.
Although Porter was not involved in any of the games on which he bet, there were several bets on a Raptors game in which he predicted that Toronto would lose. All three bets were unsuccessful. In 26 games this season with the Raptors, Porter averaged almost 14 minutes and just over four points per game.
