The NBA and the NBPA “support some further limitations on the kind of prop bets that sportsbooks can accept for NBA games,” according to Mike Vorkunov of THE ATHLETIC. Representatives for the league and the NBPA said that they would “be behind looking at more restrictions on prop betting.” An NBA spokesperson said, “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.” An NBPA spokesperson said that the union “would be open to creating more limitations around prop betting if it helped diminish the amount of abuse that players receive related to betting.” The NCAA is also “attempting to stop books from accepting bets on the individual stats of college athletes.” NCAA President Charlie Baker has been on a “yearlong lobbying effort against it,” with buy-in from four states. The NBA has deals with DraftKings and FanDuel as its official sports betting partners. The two sportsbooks also have “similar deals” with other professional sports leagues (THE ATHLETIC, 8/18).
STRICTER LIMITS: ESPN.com’s David Purdum noted the NBA asked its partner sportsbooks to “stop allowing bettors to wager on the under on prop bets involving players on two-way contracts.” The league now believes that “further limitations on prop bets may be warranted.” Former NBAer Jontay Porter is one of three players, along with Heat G Terry Rozier and NBA free agent Malik Beasley known to have “been investigated as part of a federal gambling inquiry.” Neither Rozier nor Beasley have been charged with a crime. A spokesperson noted that the NBPA views the Porter case as “an outlier and has seen no evidence other performance manipulation in the league.” Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine called for “a ban on so-called microbets” -- wagers placed on specific events during games -- after two Guardians pitchers were placed on leave amid an MLB investigation into “suspicious betting activity on the result of select individual pitches during two games in June.” A source confirmed that MLB is “discussing the microbet issue” (ESPN.com, 8/15).
