The NBA has instructed its authorized sportsbook partners to restrict specific wagering markets that may be unusually vulnerable to manipulation, CBS Sports reported, citing information first reported by ESPN. The measures target bets tied to narrow events within a game, rather than ordinary wagers on the winner.
The changes cover parlays combining multiple statistical unders for a single player. Other markets identified in the report involve the opening tip, specific missed shots and unders on players projected to play fewer than 12 minutes.
A Response to Integrity Concerns
A bettor taking the under needs a player's statistical total to remain below a designated threshold. When multiple under wagers are linked, advance knowledge that a player might leave early could provide a route to exploiting those bets.
CBS Sports pointed to Jontay Porter, who admitted in court that he removed himself from games early to help wagering outcomes involving his lower statistics. The report presented that episode as evidence of why certain narrow markets concern the league.
The restrictions are not described as a general prohibition on NBA betting. They apply to particular bets that the league believes can be influenced more directly than broader game results.
How the Rule Reaches Operators
DraftKings and FanDuel are among the authorized gambling companies identified in the reporting. The NBA's agreements allow it to restrict what partner operators offer, giving the league a contractual way to remove targeted markets at authorized operators.
The report did not identify a separate schedule for additional restrictions. The immediate goal is to reduce the types of betting opportunities most closely associated with deliberate interference by a game's participants.
Reporting sources: CBS Sports Headlines: NBA instructs sportsbook partners to ban certain bets ripe for manipulation, per report.