NBA bans Raptors player for life for insider betting and match-fixing

The NBA has issued a lifetime ban to Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter for serious violations of the league’s gambling rules.

An NBA investigation found that Porter violated league rules by disclosing confidential information to sports bettors, limiting his own participation in one or more games for betting purposes, and betting on NBA games.

“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,” said NBA commissioner Adam Silver.

“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,” he added.

The investigation found that prior to the Raptors’ game on 20 March, Porter disclosed confidential information about his own health status to an individual he knew to be an NBA bettor. 

Another individual with whom Porter associated and knew to be an NBA bettor subsequently placed an $80,000 parlay proposition bet with an online sportsbook, to win $1.1 million, wagering that Porter would underperform in the 20 March game.

Porter was also found to have limited his own game participation to influence the outcome of one or more bets on his performance in at least one Raptors game. In the 20 March game, Porter played only three minutes, claiming that he felt ill. Due to the unusual betting activity and actions of the player, the $80,000 proposition bet was frozen and was not paid out.

In addition, from January through March of this year, while traveling with the Raptors or Raptors 905, the Raptors’ NBA G League affiliate, Porter placed at least 13 bets on NBA games using an associate’s online betting account. 

These bets ranged in size from CA$15 to $22,000, for a total of $54,094. The total payout from these bets was $76,059, resulting in net winnings of $21,965. None of the bets involved any game in which Porter played.

Three of the bets were multi-game parlay bets that included one Raptors game, in which Porter bet that the Raptors would lose. All three bets lost.

The suspicious bets involving Porter’s performance in the Raptors’ 20 March game were brought to the NBA’s attention by licensed sports betting operators and a monitoring partner.

In a statement the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) said it was pleased the league had addressed the matter promptly and decisively.

“This serious case of alleged insider betting and match-fixing was identified because regulated markets, like Ontario’s, require online gaming companies and independent integrity monitors to actively monitor and report suspicious betting, which then allows sports leagues, regulators, and law enforcement to respond appropriately.

“The AGCO requires all Ontario-registered gaming operators to ensure the sport betting products they offer are on events that are effectively supervised by a sport governing body. At a minimum, the sport governing body must have - and enforce - codes of conduct that prohibit betting by insiders. The NBA’s action on this matter speaks well of the integrity safeguards and oversight they have in place related to insider betting and match-fixing.”

The NBA’s investigation remains open and may result in further findings, and the Investigation and Enforcement Bureau (IEB) of the Ontario Provincial Police, an embedded division within the AGCO, continues to review the matter.