UPDATED: Several Sportsbooks Altering NBA Props Following Jontay Porter Scandal

• ESPN reported that several major U.S. sportsbooks will not offer unders for NBA players on 10-day or two-way contracts
• ESPN BET, DraftKings, Caesars Sportsbook, FanDuel, Fanatics Sportsbook, and BetMGM will no long offer these types of props in the upcoming season
• The new rules are in place after the recent NBA sports betting controversy involving ex-Toronto Raptors two-way player Jontay Porter

Several major U.S. sportsbooks will not be offering NBA under prop bets for players on 10-day or two-way contracts for the upcoming season after the fallout of the Jontay Porter sports betting scandal.

ESPN’s David Payne Purdum recently reported the alterations, noting that ESPN BET, Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM will no longer be offering under prop bets for these types of athletes for the upcoming NBA season.

The sportsbooks are altering their offerings due to last season’s sports betting controversy involving former two-way Toronto Raptors center Porter, who placed several bets on NBA games last season, several against the Toronto Raptors while on the team roster, and actively removing himself from games so “under” bets placed by individuals he owed money to could win.

UPDATE: Fanatics Sportsbook has confirmed to Sports Betting Dime they will not be offering unders on these athletes as well for the upcoming season.

Porter Banned From NBA

The sportsbooks hope to curtail any future controversies by doing away with under bets following Porter’s actions last season. The NBA banned Porter for life this past April, after an investigation found the two-way backup forward/center provided a sports bettor with confidential information, limited his participation in one or more games for betting purposes, and bet on several NBA games.

Porter was found to have bet against the Raptors in a parlay while he traveled, but did not play, with the team earlier this year.

Most concerning, however, was news that broke in June that Porter faked at least two injuries so he could leave games early. He informed several individuals that he owed large gambling debts to about his plan so they could place several large “under” bets on his performance.

Porter eventually pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He’ll be sentenced on Dec. 18 and could face between three-and-a-half to four years in prison.

Adam Silver Backs Sports Betting

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver recently spoke to the AP regarding his New York Times op-ed in November 2014 where he pushed for the legalization and regulation of sports betting through the United States.

Silver noted that he does not regret penning the piece, but said the regulations are a “hodgepodge” amongst states and makes it difficult for the leagues to administer rules throughout the country.

Additionally, Silver told the AP that underage betting and problem gaming is still a concern.

“I think that on the downsides of sports betting, they certainly exist, and I think we have to pay a lot of attention to that. I think where we’re hearing it in multiple categories, certainly you see incidents of underaged people betting. We have to pay a lot of attention to that, what’s potentially going on at college campuses, certainly people betting over their heads,” he siad.