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David Purdum
In the wake of the NBA betting scandal, the league and its affiliated sportsbooks continue to review what types of bets are most likely to be manipulated and how much bettors should be allowed to wager on such bets, sources familiar with the discussions told ESPN on Thursday.
According to sources, before the season, the NBA identified missed free throws, fouls and turnovers as bets susceptible to manipulation and asked its affiliated sportsbooks not to offer those bets. FanDuel and DraftKings told ESPN they have agreed to the NBA’s request. FanDuel did not offer such bets last season; DraftKings offered in-game betting on players making or missing free throws, but the offering was not available before the game.
The discussions underway also include what limits are appropriate for wagers who are most vulnerable to manipulation, the sources said. For example, betting limits on player prop bets are typically lower than the point spread on games.
“Betting on individual player performance may raise integrity concerns and may require additional investigation,” an NBA spokesperson told ESPN. He said the league will continue to work closely with its sportsbook partners and evaluate current offerings on an ongoing basis.
Prop bets on players’ statistics, such as over/under on points or rebounds, have come under increased scrutiny after the veteran NBA guard was charged by federal authorities. terry rosier Conspired with the jurors in a scheme centered on his props.
According to the indictment, Rozier informed his childhood friend of his plan to remove himself early from the March 2023 game, and the friend allegedly sold this information to gamblers for approximately $100,000.
Sportsbooks reported that there was an influx of betting interest based on Rozier’s statistics before the game, leading to bettors taking their prop bets off the board hours before time. Rozier played just nine minutes before leaving the game citing a foot injury. The indictment alleges that bettors were able to place bets worth $257,700 under Rozier’s stats for the game, which were spread across multiple sportsbooks.
On the morning of the game, a bettor at a Mississippi sportsbook placed 30 bets under Rozier’s stats, totaling $13,759, according to Betting records obtained by ESPN In July.
DraftKings said the betting scandal shows how effectively the industry is monitoring suspicious betting activity.
“Recent events demonstrate that the regulated sports betting industry is working as intended – fostering an environment of collaboration between operators, leagues, regulators, law enforcement and integrity monitoring services to help uncover suspicious activity,” a DraftKings spokesperson told ESPN in a statement.
FanDuel said it maintains an open dialogue with the leagues and that its risk and trading team monitors games for integrity issues.
“From the beginning, our collaboration with the NBA has helped us determine which bets should not be placed, such as fouls, turnovers or missed free throws, and in partnership with the league, we have been able to evolve our offering, including removing props on players with two-way or ten-day contracts,” a FanDuel spokesperson told ESPN in a statement.
Before the 2024–25 season, the NBA told sportsbooks not to offer betting on players on two-way or 10-day contracts after the former. Toronto Raptors Center Jonte Porter, who was on a two-way contract, was banned from the league for alleged participation in a gambling scheme based on his prop bets. Porter admitted to manipulating his performances in two games during the 2023–24 season so his bookmakers could make a profit on the under. Some of the same bookmakers accused in the Porter scheme were named in the indictment linked to Rozier last week.
Player prop bets have become increasingly popular, particularly in the NBA, and represent an increasing percentage of the amount wagered on basketball. They are especially popular in parlays, which increase the payout amount on winning bets.
Although its affiliated sportsbooks can accept requests to remove some bets, the NBA does not have as much influence over what daily fantasy operators, prediction markets, and offshore sportsbook operators offer.
The Sports Betting Alliance, a lobbying group that represents major U.S. sportsbooks, said any blanket ban on prop bets would push bettors toward illegal and unregulated platforms that “lack oversight, provide no consumer protections and refuse to cooperate with integrity checks.”
“This creates a dangerous blind spot for regulators and leagues, preventing them from effectively identifying and addressing threats to the integrity of the game,” SBA president Jeremy Cuddon told ESPN in a statement.
