The NBA has introduced new sports betting restrictions for the 2026-27 season, prohibiting several types of wagers considered vulnerable to manipulation following high-profile gambling investigations involving current and former players.
In a memorandum distributed to sportsbook partners on October 16, the league instructed authorised operators, including DraftKings and FanDuel, to stop offering parlays combining multiple under bets on the same player’s statistics.
The restrictions also cover wagers on the winner of the opening tip, whether individual players will miss specific shots, and under bets involving players expected to spend fewer than 12 minutes on the court. Sportsbooks must also remove alternative under lines offering larger payouts.
The NBA can determine which betting markets its authorised partners offer through existing contractual agreements. According to league estimates, those operators account for more than 99% of the US sports betting market.
NBA Executive Vice President Scott Kaufman-Ross explained:
“There’s a balance between ensuring that we are removing problematic bet types but also ensuring that we don’t just move activity into the illegal market,” Kaufman-Ross said. “And where we landed right now, we think, is the right balance of those two objectives.”
Porter and Rozier Cases Influence Betting Changes
The decision follows federal investigations involving former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, both linked to suspicious betting activity involving individual player statistics.
Porter admitted that he deliberately removed himself from games during the 2023-24 season to help bettors profit from wagers on his statistical unders.
In March 2024, one participant placed an $80,000 parlay covering Porter’s points, rebounds, assists, three-pointers, steals and blocks during a game against Sacramento.
The wager carried a potential payout of approximately $1.1 million. Porter left the game after playing just three minutes.
The NBA subsequently banned him for life, and he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
Federal prosecutors have also alleged that bettors used advance information about Rozier’s playing time during a March 2023 game between Charlotte and New Orleans.
Rozier exited the contest after approximately nine minutes. Prosecutors allege that individuals involved in the scheme placed wagers on his statistical unders after receiving information about his anticipated departure.
The veteran guard has pleaded not guilty and denied wrongdoing.
“Seeing where we may have had issues in the past is one of the inputs to determining the types of things that we think could be problematic,” Kaufman-Ross said, as reported by ESPN.
The league previously prohibited under bets involving players on two-way contracts following the Porter investigation.
The latest measures also follow developments in related criminal proceedings. Shane Hennen recently pleaded guilty to federal gambling charges involving professional and college basketball schemes, while basketball trainer Jalen Smith received a six-year prison sentence for his role in manipulating college games.
League Strengthens Monitoring and Player Protection
The NBA is introducing additional integrity measures to identify suspicious wagering activity and reinforce compliance with its gambling policies.
A separate memorandum sent to teams outlined improvements to the league’s internal artificial intelligence-based monitoring platform, which examines betting patterns for potential irregularities.
Former NFL player and retired FBI agent Charles Tillman will also conduct in-person training sessions covering the league’s sports betting rules.
The NBA is strengthening protections for players and team personnel facing harassment from gamblers.
Its updated fan code of conduct will place greater emphasis on threats and abusive behaviour associated with sports betting.
Through a partnership with Social Protect, players can opt into a service that identifies and removes harassing messages on social media. The league has also established a secure text-message hotline for reporting threats.
Authorised sportsbook operators have expressed support for the changes.
DraftKings confirmed that some restrictions already align with its practices and reiterated its commitment to cooperation on gambling integrity.
FanDuel similarly emphasised the importance of collaboration between leagues and regulated betting operators in protecting fair competition.
Prediction Markets Remain Outside Direct Restrictions
The new requirements do not directly apply to prediction market platforms such as Kalshi and Polymarket.
The NBA currently has no formal partnerships with these companies, limiting its ability to impose contractual restrictions on their sports-related event markets.
Kaufman-Ross confirmed that officials considered prediction markets when assessing potential changes to the league’s betting policies.
The NBA has also approached the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), requesting regulatory oversight of sports event contracts and associated integrity concerns.
The league previously encouraged the CFTC to consider restrictions on player-related prediction markets that could expose sporting events to manipulation risks.
For the upcoming season, the NBA will enforce its revised betting rules through authorised sportsbook partnerships while continuing to monitor suspicious activity across its competitions.