NBA tells sportsbooks to ban certain prop bets and parlays after betting scandals

The NBA has directed its sportsbook partners, including DraftKings and FanDuel, to prohibit or restrict certain types of bets in response to recent betting scandals, according to reporters David Purdum and Shams Charania.

In a memo to the league’s authorized gaming operators, the NBA instructed sportsbooks to prohibit bettors from grouping “under” prop bets on the same player in a parlay, to stop offering “under” prop bets on any player expected to play fewer than 12 minutes, and to end “first-of” micro-bets, such as which team will win the opening tip or which player will score the game’s first basket.

The league has the authority to restrict the bets its partners offer under its existing agreements, and it estimates those partners account for roughly 99 percent of the U.S. betting market. “There’s a balance between ensuring that we are removing problematic bet types but also ensuring that we don’t just move activity into the illegal market,” NBA executive vice president Scott Kaufman-Ross said. “And where we landed right now, we think, is the right balance of those two objectives.”

Parlay bets involving “under” props have been at the center of recent scandals. Jontay Porter, who has been banned from the NBA, admitted in court that he checked out of games early to aid bettors who had wagered on “under” props. Federal prosecutors have accused Terry Rozier of doing the same in a March 2023 game he exited with an injury after nine minutes; Rozier has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty, and his case remains unresolved.

The new restrictions supplement limitations already in place, including a ban on betting on 10-day or two-way contract players and prohibitions on prop bets related to turnovers, fouls and missed free throws.