(ConservativeSense.com) – The National Basketball Association (NBA) has banned a Toronto Raptors player for life for violating betting rules. Jontay Porter, who played in 26 games this season and averaged 4.4 points and 3.2 rebounds per game, reportedly shared confidential information about his health with a prolific NBA bettor.
The bettor subsequently placed an $80,000 wager on a March 20 game in which Porter played for only three minutes before claiming he was too sick to continue. The bet earned winnings of $1.1 million, but this was not paid out due to NBA suspicions. A subsequent investigation found that Porter limited his performance to influence the contest’s outcome.
Furthermore, the inquiry found that Porter placed his own bets under an associate’s name, earning net winnings totaling $21,965. He did not play in the associated games, but he did bet against his own team.
The NBA issued a statement on April 17 saying Mr. Porter had violated league rules by constraining his performance and placing bets on NBA games. The star had not played for the Toronto Raptors since investigations began in late March.
ESPN reported that on March 25, the NBA began looking at all of Porter’s games from January 26, when he played against the LA Clippers, to the March 20 contest that led to his ban. Against the Clippers in January, Porter played for just 4 minutes before complaining of an eye injury. The report states that his brief performance was uncharacteristic, and he did not attempt to score.
The next day, DraftKings Sportsbook noted “the biggest money winner for bettors of any NBA player props from games that evening.” A similar pattern was observed over subsequent weeks, culminating in the March 20 bet that led to Porter’s downfall.
NBA rules prohibit players, managers, or league employees from betting on games in any basketball league. They are permitted to bet on other sports or fantasy basketball contests, but only if no cash prize is involved.
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