The NBA plans to bar its licensed sportsbook partners from accepting certain wager types that the league views as vulnerable to exploitation, a restriction set to take effect when the 2026-2027 season gets underway, according to published reports.
A memo distributed by the NBA to its affiliated sportsbooks — requesting that certain betting markets be removed from the upcoming season's offerings — was obtained and reported on by David Purdum and Shams Charania. Parlay restrictions on the under side of individual player stat lines are being put in place, a move tied to investigations into NBA players who allegedly left games ahead of schedule to ensure those totals fell short, along with bans on certain other wagering markets.
Wager types the league has flagged as vulnerable to manipulation — among them bets tied to the opening tipoff — would be prohibited under the incoming ruleset, per media reports. Beyond barring "under" wagers tied to player statistics within parlay combinations, the league's updated ruleset extends its restrictions to cover bets on which team controls the opening tipoff, early in-game moments — including the first made shot and the first rebound — wagers placed against a player completing a particular attempt, and "under" propositions attached to any player whose anticipated court time falls below 12 minutes, according to the outlet's coverage.
Allegations that both Jontay Porter — a centre who spent time in the NBA — and guard Terry Rozier each arranged to leave games under the pretence of injury, then tipped off associates to place wagers on the under in specific statistical categories, placed both players at the centre of separate sports betting investigations. Wagers placed below the expected scoring totals for individual players appeared at the centre of the misconduct cases tied to both Rozier and Porter.
Formal charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering were brought against Rozier at an arraignment held in December 2025, stemming from his purported involvement in a sports betting operation that prosecutors allege fixed on-court performances and exploited inside information to generate substantial winnings across a span of no fewer than two NBA seasons. The individuals at the centre of the FBI's "Operation Nothing But Net" probe were also connected to a separate sports betting arrangement that drew in former Raptors centre Porter.
A guilty plea to conspiracy charges involving wire fraud — tied to Porter's role in altering his own performance results — has been entered, with a sentencing date yet to be set. Porter received a lifetime ban from the NBA.
Scott Kaufman-Ross, an executive vice president at the league, told a broadcaster that the organisation had sought a middle path — pulling certain bet types from circulation without pushing activity toward unregulated markets — and that the current framework reflected what officials believed to be the right balance between those two aims. Separately, no guidelines covering prediction market operators had been announced at that point, and no formal agreements between the league and any prediction market operator are in place.
Beyond the list of prohibitions, the memo outlined fresh measures aimed at protecting league integrity. Hands-on rules training for NBA betting conduct will be delivered in person by Charles Tillman — a former NFL player who later served as an FBI agent — while the league also moves to strengthen an AI-driven platform designed to flag irregular wagering patterns tied to its games. Revisions to the fan code of conduct are planned as a vehicle for strengthening safeguards against bettor-driven harassment directed at players, coaches, and other league personnel.
