NBA strikes deal with sportsbooks to restrict parlay bets at the center of league’s mafia-linked gambling scandal

The NBA is restricting several types of sports bets this season amid recent high-profile gambling scandals involving players.

In a memo sent to sportsbook partners on Friday, the league barred parlays combining ‘under’ wagers on multiple statistics for the same player.

The new rules also ban bets on the opening tip, missed shots, and under wagers on players expected to log fewer than 12 minutes of court time.

Sportsbooks will also be prohibited from offering alternate under lines with larger payouts to bettors.

The mandates apply directly to authorized partners, including DraftKings and FanDuel, which cover over 99 percent of the legal US betting market.

‘There’s a balance between removing problematic bet types and not moving activity into the illegal market,’ NBA EVP Scott Kaufman-Ross said.

The policy shift follows federal gambling investigations involving former Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter and Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier.

Porter admitted to exiting games early to benefit bettors, including an $80,000 parlay on six of his unders that had a potential $1.1 million payout.

Prosecutors allege a similar scheme targeted Rozier in March 2023 when he left after nine minutes. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Beyond restricting bet menus, the league is expanding its AI betting monitoring system and adding a text hotline to report threats.

Former NFL player and retired FBI special agent Charles Tillman will also lead mandatory in-person training for players on betting rules.