The NBA is in a potentially explosive gambling scandal, as the league has opened an investigation into Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter over suspicious betting activity surrounding his player prop bets.
According to reports from ESPN, the NBA is specifically looking into two recent games where Porter exited early with injuries, yet irregular betting patterns emerged on his props for stats like points, rebounds and assists. Sportsbooks reported an abnormally high volume of bets on the “unders” for Porter’s lines in those contests.
In the Raptors’ January 26th game against the Clippers, Porter played just over 4 minutes before leaving with an eye injury. He scored 0 points with only 1 assist and 3 rebounds. After the game, a DraftKings report stated the under on Porter’s 3-pointer prop was their biggest moneymaker that night across the NBA.
Then on March 20th facing the Kings, Porter logged under 3 minutes due to an illness. Again, sportsbooks reported props like his under 7.5 points were among the night’s most lucrative bets.
While no direct allegations have been made, the nature of the betting patterns raises questions over whether the 24-year-old purposely kept his numbers low. Players can potentially profit by betting on themselves to underperform or providing inside information to others placing those bets.
“People were trying to do whatever they could to bet Jontay Porter props,” one source told ESPN regarding the Clippers game. “And then, just a few days ago, the same thing.”
The NBA’s gambling policy strictly prohibits any employee from betting on league games or events. Violations can result in harsh penalties like suspensions, fines or even termination of contracts for players.
Porter has missed Toronto’s last two games for undisclosed “personal reasons” as the league’s investigation ramps up. Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic said he’s never encountered a situation like this before.
“I never doubt injuries. I never doubt honesty from players,” Rajakovic stated. “Obviously, I’ve never had a situation like this before.”
While still in the early stages, this Jontay Porter case has the potential to mushroom into one of the biggest gambling scandals since legalized U.S. sports betting took off in 2018. The last time the NBA disciplined a player for gambling was over 60 years ago.
