NBA orders sportsbook partners to ban exploitable wagers
The National Basketball Association announced on Oct. 16, 2026 that it is requiring all U.S. sportsbook partners to prohibit a list of wagers deemed exploitable, with the directive taking effect immediately.
The memo sent to partners such as DraftKings and FanDuel bans parlays that combine multiple under bets on a single player’s statistics, under bets on players projected to play fewer than 12 minutes, and “first‑of” markets that include the winner of the opening tip or the result of a player’s first shot. It also eliminates alternate under lines that offer larger payouts.
The action follows a massive gambling scandal that unfolded nearly a year earlier, centered on former Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter. Porter pleaded guilty in 2024 to conspiring to commit wire fraud after intentionally exiting a game early to help bettors cash an $80,000 parlay that paid about $1.1 million on unders for six of his statistical categories. A similar scheme involving former Charlotte Hornets guard Terry Rozier, who left a 2023 game after nine minutes, is currently being litigated.
Those cases prompted the league to expand existing restrictions that already barred bets on 10‑day or two‑way contract players, turnovers, fouls, missed free throws and other vulnerable prop markets. NBA executives said the new limits target bet types directly tied to player participation and performance, which can be manipulated for profit.
In addition to market bans, the NBA has launched training sessions led by former NFL star and retired FBI agent Charles Tillman to educate players, coaches and staff on betting rules. The league also rolled out an AI‑driven monitoring platform to flag unusual wagering patterns and introduced a hotline and a third‑party service to help athletes remove harassing messages from social media.
DraftKings praised the effort, noting many of the restrictions already align with its own practices, while FanDuel said it remains committed to a regulated market that roots out abuses. The NBA’s partnership with its sportsbooks, which account for over 99% of U.S. betting volume, means the new rules will shape the majority of legal wagering on the sport moving forward.
