NBA bans Toronto Raptors’ Jontay Porter for violating league’s gambling rules
By Ben Morse, CNN
(CNN) — The NBA has banned Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter from the league after an investigation found that the 24-year-old had violated betting rules, the league said.
The league announced in March it had opened an investigation into anomalies involving bets pertaining to Porter after unusual betting patterns around the player emerged.
The NBA said its investigation found that Porter had “violated league rules by disclosing confidential information to sports bettors, limiting his own participation in one or more games for betting purposes, and betting on NBA games.”
“There is nothing more important than protecting the integrity of NBA competition for our fans, our teams and everyone associated with our sport, which is why Jontay Porter’s blatant violations of our gaming rules are being met with the most severe punishment,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement.
“While legal sports betting creates transparency that helps identify suspicious or abnormal activity, this matter also raises important issues about the sufficiency of the regulatory framework currently in place, including the types of bets offered on our games and players,” added Silver.
“Working closely with all relevant stakeholders across the industry, we will continue to work diligently to safeguard our league and game.”
The NBA said in a news release that the league has shared and will continue to share information with federal prosecutors. The league also said its investigation remains open and may result in further findings.
The Raptors are “fully supportive of the league’s decision” and the team will continue to cooperate with the ongoing investigations, the team said in a release.
CNN has sought comment from Porter’s representation.
$80,000 bet frozen
The investigation found that Porter informed someone who he knew to be an NBA bettor about his health status – which is confidential information – before a game on March 20.
Subsequently, another person associated with Porter placed a $80,000 bet on the Raptors player underperforming in that game, which would have won $1.1 million.
The $80,000 bet on the March 20 game was frozen due to the “unusual betting activity and actions of the player,” the NBA said.
The NBA also found that Porter affected his own participation in games to influence bets on his performance in Toronto games.
Additionally, the league also found that Porter placed at least 13 bets on NBA games between January and March this year.
The bets totaled $54,094, ranging from $15 to $22,000, with the total payout being $76,059, resulting in net winnings of $21,965.
While Porter was not involved in any of the games in which he bet on, there was a series of bets on a Raptors game in which he predicted that Toronto would lose. All three bets were unsuccessful.
In 26 games this season with the Raptors, Porter averaged almost 14 minutes and just over four points per game.
This story has been updated with additional information.
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