Following Scandal, Sportsbooks Eliminating NBA Props Involving Two-Way Players

Written By Dan Holmes on October 18, 2024
Customer places a bet at Caesars Sportsbook in Cleveland.

The New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets will play their regular season openers next week. But NBA bettors will not find some odds they were able to wager on last season.

According to reports, the likes of BetMGM, DraftKings, and FanDuel will not be offering player prop odds for players on certain types of short-term contracts during the 2024-25 season.

During this past offseason, the NBA and several operators of New York sportsbooks have negotiated to prohibit betting on players on on two-way or 10-day contracts. This move is in response to the scandal that erupted last season when Jontay Porter of the Toronto Raptors was found to have manipulated his own performance in a gambling scheme.

Recapping scandal that led to NBA betting changes

Porter, who was on a two-way contract with Toronto, pulled himself out of two games that he himself had bet on last January and March. Porter reportedly placed player prop wagers on his own performance in those games, betting on the under.

He allegedly convinced his coaches that he was not healthy to ensure he would not reach the statistical thresholds of those bets. Porter pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He was banned for life from the NBA and faces criminal sentencing in December.

The negative publicity from that incident led NBA officials to ask for the removal of player prop odds on these so-called “short-term” and “marginal” NBA athletes.

An NBA spokesperson told ESPN:

“We are pleased that these actions have been taken to help protect the integrity of our games.”

Don’t expect to bet on swing players on Knicks, Nets

NBA rules permit teams to sign players for 10-day contracts or three games, whichever comes first. A two-way contract is when a player is shuttled between the G League and the NBA. By definition, many of those players are paid less than NBA stars, and perhaps could be more tempted by sports betting gains.

Both the Knicks and the Nets have affiliations with the G League, where non-NBA roster players are “kept warm” to potentially fill in as needed for NBA teams.

The Westchester Knicks and Long Island Nets will have at least 14 players by league rule. The G League season begins in early November. However, in the 2024-25 season, bettors will not find odds from NBA betting sites in NY for players called up from the G League, at least not in New York from three of the biggest sports betting operators.

So, if you’re looking for game props on two-way players on the Knicks (Ariel Hukporti, Kevin McCullar Jr., Jacob Toppin) or the Nets (Jaylen Martin, Yongxi Cui), you will not locate them in the Empire State.

Decision illustrates cooperation between NBA, betting partners

The Porter betting scandal was flagged by sportsbooks, which noticed irregular betting activity on his player props. Typically, a marginal player off the bench for an NBA team (who may be on a two-way contract or 10-day deal), will not attract many wagers on his game performance.

The fact that FanDuel and others alerted the NBA of the strange betting activity surrounding Porter underscores the importance of communication between sports leagues and the companies that accept wagers on their games.

The public, whether they wager on the NBA or not, will feel better about the integrity of the sport if they see the league taking action to safeguard sports betting.

Perhaps the most important outcome of the Porter affair is as a deterrent: If you are a person or athlete who desires to gain an edge in sports betting or even dare to commit a crime or collude, you will be sniffed out by the sportsbooks and security in the league.

Photo by David Dermer / AP Photo
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Dan Holmes

Dan Holmes is a freelance writer for PlayNY. An author of three books about sports, he previously worked for the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Major League Baseball. Dan enjoys writing, running and lemon bars. He lives near Lake Michigan with his daughters and usually has an orange cream soda nearby.

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