On April 17, the NBA announced that Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has received a lifetime ban from the league for violating their gaming rules.
A league investigation found that Porter violated the rules by disclosing confidential information to sports bettors, which led him to limit his participation in one or more games for betting purposes and betting on NBA games.
The league found that before a Raptors game on March 20, Porter disclosed information about his health status to someone he knew who was an NBA bettor. Another person that Porter knew — who was also an NBA bettor — placed an $80,000 parlay to win $1.1 million, wagering that Porter would underperform in the game.
Raptors' Jontay Porter has received a lifetime ban from the NBA for violating league's gaming rules. pic.twitter.com/QHDiGHnPYG
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 17, 2024
From January to March 2024, Porter placed 13 bets on NBA games using an associate’s online betting account. He bet $54,094 and won $21,965. Three of the bets were multi-game parlay bets that included a Raptors game where Porter bet that they would lose. All three of the bets lost.
NBA commissioner issues statement on Jontay Porter
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver released a statement regarding Porter’s ban.
“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,” Silver’s statement said.
“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,” the statement continued. “Working closely with all relevant stakeholders across the industry, we will continue to work diligently to safeguard our league and game.”
Porter joined the NBA in 2020 and signed with the Memphis Grizzlies after going undrafted in the 2019 draft. He is also the brother of Denver Nuggets’ player Michael Porter Jr.
