In all of Jontay Porter's idiocy, he is offering a service to other professional athletes who may consider betting on matches in which he directly participates or for which he has inside information to provide gamblers. provided.
That's nearly impossible to pull off in the legal, regulated, and monitored world of gambling. It's even more impossible if the NBA was as blatant as Porter.
This isn't like making illegal bets with Bill the Bookie and paying your losses or collecting your wins at your local burger bar on Monday night.
That doesn't mean something like this won't happen again. We always think someone can beat the system, but Jontay Porter and his simple attempt to make some extra money might just help someone achieve it. It's inevitable, just like it happened in the first place.
A league investigation uncovered surprising evidence against Porter, the younger brother of Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., who had an NBA/G League contract with the Toronto Raptors worth about $410,000.
The NBA discovered that Porter had told gamblers about his health. Another gambler, Porter, knew that Porter had placed $80,000 in prop bets to underperform in certain statistical categories. Porter limited his participation in the match in order to influence the outcome of one or more matches. He placed bets on NBA games through his co-workers' online accounts, but none of the bets included games in which Porter played, but one bet included a Raptors game, and Porter At the game, Porter bet that the Raptors would lose.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver had no choice but to sentence Porter to a lifetime ban from playing in the league.
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Gambling is everywhere, and leagues (not just the NBA) have embraced it. You will not be able to watch the match unless gambling is included in the advertising or on-air discussion.
“We are limiting the amount of sports betting advertising in games,” Silver said at the conclusion of last week's NBA owners meeting. “Others may have a different opinion as to whether it is in the right line or not, but we limit it. That's just part of it.
“I live in the New York market. There are always promotions going on for people to bet on sports.”
It's about making money. It's good for business. Revenue from the NBA's gaming partners will be shared with the players, and the NBA allowed players to partner with gaming companies in its 2023 collective bargaining agreement.
The league can't prevent things from happening with Jontay Porter, so safeguards are in place, including monitoring to identify inappropriate bets.
“I think the alternative would be illegal sports betting, and at least in a legalized structure there would be transparency. As with the very advanced computers we have been dealing with, there could be anomalous behavior. When you do that, you become aware of it, rather than the stakes being waged in the shadows and underground.”
Silver's concerns are genuine. You can hear it in his voice and read it in the statement announcing Porter's suspension.
“This matter also raises important questions about the adequacy of the regulatory framework currently in place, including the types of bets offered to our games and players,” Silver said.
Mr. Silver has long proposed federal regulations, including limiting or eliminating prop bets involving players, those on non-guaranteed or nominal contracts that would be susceptible to rule violations.
Will the NBA and other leagues be able to find a way to make that happen, or will they have to accept the consequences? Because even if the league had no relationship with sportsbooks, sportsbooks are still in business. , and someone will still want to be paid quickly.
Follow NBA reporter Jeff Gilgit on social media @JeffZillgitt
