NBA and Players Association Back Betting Limits to Curb Athlete Abuse

The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) gave their backing for tighter rules regarding prop bets amid ongoing concerns about game manipulation and athlete harassment. 

The move comes after three players were linked to a federal betting investigation, including former Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter, who admitted to game manipulation linked to gambling. 

Porter was banned from the NBA in April 2024 by commissioner Adam Silver and later pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges in federal court. He admitted to intentionally removing himself from two games during the 2023–24 season to help associates profit from bets.

In response, the NBA asked sportsbooks to restrict wagers on prop bets involving players on two-way contracts that Porter held at the time. The league is now considering additional restrictions, citing the need to protect both competition and players. Integrity is a key issue for professional sports leagues and the best sports betting sites.

“Protecting the integrity of our game is paramount, and we believe reasonable limitations on certain prop bets should be given due consideration. Any approach should aim to reduce the risk of performance manipulation while ensuring that fans who wish to place prop bets can continue to do so via legal, regulated markets,” said an NBA spokesperson in a statement. 

The NBPA described the Porter case as an isolated incident but acknowledged growing concern over harassment linked to betting. Some states are also taking action. Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has pushed to ban wagers on small in-game events, after suspicious activity in MLB raised alarms. 

In the New Jersey sports betting market, state legislator Dan Hutchison has also introduced a bill to eliminate micro bets entirely, warning they pose a threat to the integrity of sports and younger fans. DraftKings CEO Jason Robins has recently spoken about seeing microbetting as a non-issue.

March Madness abuse

Gambling has also been linked to an increase in player abuse at the college level, according to new findings released by the NCAA. 

The report covers online harassment during the 2025 men’s and women’s basketball tournaments, showing contrasting trends between the two competitions. The study, conducted with monitoring firm Signify, tracked abusive comments on platforms including X, Instagram, and TikTok directed at more than 2,000 athletes, coaches, officials, and administrators.

In total, more than one million posts were reviewed. Of the 54,000 flagged by AI systems, just over 3,000 were confirmed as abusive or threatening, with some referred to law enforcement. Mississippi State player Chandler Prater described the volume of hostile messages after a tournament loss as unlike anything he’d experienced before. 

In addition to the monitoring program, the NCAA has moved to restrict high-risk betting markets around its championships. Sportsbooks using NCAA data must now prohibit bets on underperformance, health outcomes, officiating calls, and other easily manipulated categories.

The measures form part of the NCAA’s broader strategy, which also includes education programs with EPIC Global Solutions and public awareness campaigns.