NBA – FairOdds Network

March 3, 2025

Hong Kong could legalise hoops betting by next NBA season

The government of Hong Kong is inching closer to legal betting on NBA basketball. Punters may be able to bet on the upcoming season, which begins in October.

Hong Kong’s 2024-25 budget, released 26 February, included a proposal for legal wagers on the sport.

A similar proposal failed to gain traction in the 2024 legislative session. But this year, the odds may be in its favour for financial reasons.

The Chinese special administrative region (SAR) faces a budget deficit of more than HK$100 billion (£102 million/€124 million/$128.6 million). That’s more than twice the shortfall projected at the start of 2024.

Hong Kong’s economy grew 2.5% in 2024, down from 3.2% in 2023. Trade tensions with the United States could deepen the SAR’s fiscal crisis. In response, the cash-strapped government is laying off tens of thousands of civil servants and searching for new sources of revenue. An expanded gaming industry could help.

Tapping a billion-dollar revenue stream

In his annual budget spe..

October 31, 2024

Bettor who stood to win $1 million in Jontay Porter betting scam pleads guilty

On Wednesday (30 October) Mahmud Mollah became the third person in the Jontay Porter sports betting scandal to plead guilty to wire fraud conspiracy.

Mollah is the gambler who placed bets that would have won $1 million (£776,609/€920,850) on the performance of then two-way NBA player Jontay Porter. Porter, who was playing for the Toronto Raptors on a 10-day contract, removed himself early from games on 26 January and 20 March so he and the gamblers could win “under” bets.

Earlier this month, NBA betting partners, including BetMGM, DraftKings and FanDuel, announced they would stop taking bets on the league’s lowest-paid players, according to The Athletic. No “under” bets will be available on two-way players or players on 10-day contracts. Porter was set to earn $56,000 from his short-term contract with the Raptors and the NBA believes these players are most at risk for being corrupted by bettors.

Mollah pleaded in the the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Port..

October 29, 2024

Jontay Porter effect could be just the beginning of banning bets

Major sportsbooks have done away with certain NBA player props and the potential ramifications go far beyond that.

Jontay Porter is unlikely to ever take the court for an NBA team again.

Still, this player with a career average of 11.2 minutes per game is a central figure in one of the league’s biggest storylines of the new season.

A number of national sportsbooks such as BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, ESPN Bet and FanDuel won’t be posting NBA player prop unders for those on 10-day or two-way contracts. The rationale? These players have less financial security than those under contract for the season. Because of that they could be enticed to purposely tank their performances.

Call this the Jontay Porter effect.

Porter did exactly this – exiting games early due to supposed injury or illness, ensuring under bets on his props would win – a season ago as a member of the Toronto Raptors. This scheme led him to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He was also banned for life f..

October 22, 2024

How are personalisation and technology driving NBA in-play betting?

The NBA regular season tips off on Tuesday (22 October) with the reigning champion Boston Celtics hosting the New York Knicks. There’s sure to be fast-paced excitement on the court and operators will look to tap into that with their in-play offerings, which have surged in popularity of late.

In June the provider Simplebet, which specialises in micromarket pricing, revealed it had enjoyed a third straight NBA season of growth (up 75% year-on-year), with nearly 13 million in-play bets placed during the 2023-24 season.

Around $325m was wagered with operators using Simplebet’s microbetting products, with the company offering 86 unique in-play markets during the NBA post-season.

Following Simplebet’s third season of consecutive growth, DraftKings announced it had reached an agreement to acquire the microbetting specialist.

The landscape of sports betting in the US since the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was repealed in 2018 has been one of constant evolutio..

October 21, 2024

Weekend Report: US sportsbooks switch up prop bet rules for NBA, row erupts over Betfred shop signage

Welcome to the Weekend Report, where iGB looks at the news that you may have missed across Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This week: US bettors face new rules on NBA player prop bets, new betting shop signage comes under fire and Conor McGregor loses big-money bet.
US sportsbooks to halt prop betting on lower-paid NBA players
First up, major sportsbooks in the US will no longer allow players to place a prop-style bet on the lowest-earning NBA players, sources have told The Athletic.

Quoting the article, the New York Times reported that the decision comes after months of talks between the NBA and its gambling partners. These include both FanDuel and DraftKings. From now on, no “under” bets will be offered on players on a two-way or 10-day contract.

While NBA players make several million dollars a year, players on shorter contracts earn far less. As such, they potentially face greater threats over match and betting manipulation.

The New York Times highlights one case last year when the ..

July 17, 2024

Judge denies Jontay Porter’s request for his passport so he can play pro ball in Greece

On Tuesday (16 July), banned NBA player Jontay Porter filed a motion to get his passport back before sentencing in an NBA sports betting scandal, so he can play basketball in Greece. A district court judge denied the motion.

The motion, filed by Porter in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York, included four requests:

1. for Jontay Porter to get his passport back;

2. to travel to and around Europe;

3. to live in Patras, Greece; and

4. to play pro basketball in Patras, Greece.

Porter last week pleaded guilty to felony charges and admitted to being part of a gambling scandal in which he removed himself from two NBA games so others could win their bets. Four others have been charged in the scandal.

Porter is set to be sentenced in December. Federal prosecutors are recommending that he serve 41-51 months in prison. He’ll also have to pay more than $450,000 in fines and fees.

Porter was released on $250,000 bond put up by his wife and mother.

Jontay Porte..

July 10, 2024

Ex-NBA player Jontay Porter pleads guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud

On Wednesday (10 July) former Toronto Raptor Jontay Porter turned himself in to federal authorities and pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a sports betting scandal that involves four others. Porter entered his plea at the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

Federal prosecutors recommended 41-51 months in prison and Porter will have to pay more than $450,000 in fines and fees. According to the New York Post, Porter was released on $250,000 bond put up by his wife and mother.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver banned Porter from the league for life in April, several weeks after news broke that he may have violated league wagering rules. Porter tampered with two games so that his co-conspirators could win “under” prop bets. NBA players are allowed to gamble, but are forbidden from betting on basketball and from fixing games. Porter is the only NBA player to be banned or suspended for betting since PASPA was overturned in 2018.

According to a federal ..

July 3, 2024

US DoJ preps to criminally charge Porter with felony in illegal gambling scheme

Federal prosecutors in New York are preparing to charge Jontay Porter for his involvement in the illegal betting scandal that got him banned from the NBA. Porter's name appeared on a federal court docket on Wednesday (3 July), reports the New York Daily News.

Court papers were not immediately available but, according to the Daily News, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) will seek felony charges. Porter is accused of game fixing in an illegal gambling scheme. Four others have been arrested and arraigned for conspiracy to commit wire fraud in the case.

The Daily News wrote that Porter will likely be charged “through an ‘information’ document instead of an indictment, which typically happens when a suspect plans to plead guilty to the charges at the case’s onset”.

Porter allegedly removed himself from two Toronto Raptors games to allow bettors to win on “under” prop bets. DraftKings reported suspicious activity to the NBA after games on 26 January and 22 March. The four arrested..

June 20, 2024

Ontario police open Jontay Porter criminal investigation

On Tuesday (18 June) a representative for Ontario's Provincial Police told ESPN that it has opened a criminal investigation into former Toronto Raptor Jontay Porter.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver in April issued Jontay Porter a lifetime ban from the league for betting on his own team and sharing personal information with bettors.

According to ESPN, the OPP Investigation and Enforcement Bureau will coordinate with US federal authorities, who are also investigating wrongdoing surrounding two NBA games. Porter took himself out of games on 26 January and 22 March. According to a federal affidavit, Porter allegedly left the games early at the behest of of Ammar Awawdeh.

“Screenshot this … Me ammar awawdeh born 7/23/91 is forcing [Player 1] to do this,” reads a text in the affidavit. Porter allegedly replied with: “If I don’t do a special with your terms. Then it’s up. And u hate me and if I don’t get you 8k by Friday you’re coming to Toronto to beat me up.”

Porter is not identifie..

March 10, 2023

Genius-owned Second Spectrum extends with NBA

Second Spectrum, part of the Genius Sports group, has signed a multi-year extension to its partnership with the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Under the deal, Second Spectrum will serve as an official NBA League Pass augmentation provider and an official NBA team basketball analytics provider.

NBA tracking data will continue to be integrated into Genius Sports’ basketball insights and analytics engine, while Genius Sports will also continue to provide its services to all 30 NBA teams.

Read the full story on iGB North America

November 3, 2022

NorthStar Bets scores Ontario partnership with NBA

NorthStar Gaming, operator of the Canada-facing NorthStar Bets brands, has entered into a regional partnership with the National Basketball Association (NBA) in Ontario.

Under the agreement, NorthStar Bets will become an authorised gaming operator of the NBA in the Canadian province.

NBA marks and logos will appear across NorthStar Bets, while users will also benefit from access to real-time NBA data when placing bets.

In addition, NorthStar Bets and the NBA will collaborate on a series of initiatives to help protect the integrity of NBA games.

The deal builds on previously announced partnerships from NorthStar aimed at providing consumers with more pre-game and live in-game betting opportunities across a number of leagues, including the NHL.

“As an authorised gaming operator, NorthStar Gaming will connect our players with official data and stats from the NBA and provide them with an insights-packed user experience,” NorthStar Gaming founding partner and chief executive Michael Mo..

October 27, 2022

Sportradar scores long-term NBA data deal with FanDuel

Sportradar has agreed a long-term deal to supply official data from the National Basketball Association to Flutter Entertainment-owned FanDuel Group.

The agreement will run through to the end of the 2030-31 season and cover a wide range of NBA data and supplementary betting services for FanDuel’s sportsbook platform.

FanDuel also agreed to extend its original August 2021 main data deal with Sportradar to September 2031, with Sportradar to remain as the preferred data and odds supplier to the operator.

Sportradar and FanDuel will work together to deliver improved sports betting experiences to customers, including, for the first time, using certain player tracking data to create props and support the growth of same game parlays.

FanDuel will also become the first North American operator to utilise Sportradar’s official NBA data, following the operator’s landmark partnership with the NBA announced in November 2021, under which both FanDuel and DraftKings became official betting partne..

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Tag: NBA