The NBA is banning former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter from the league indefinitely after an investigation revealed he had been betting on his own sport, and sharing insider information with high-stakes gamblers. It’s a very serious punishment aimed at showing the world that the NBA takes its gambling policies very seriously.
Porter, the investigation found, had shared private information about his health status with a sports bettor ahead of a game against the Sacramento Kings on March 20. Large bets, $80,000 worth, were placed on Porter under performing that night – which he did. In fact, Porter pulled himself out of the game after just three minutes of play, basically guaranteeing that the under would come in for anyone wagering against him. But that wasn’t all.
The investigation also revealed that Porter regularly wagered on NBA games through a friend’s account. The bets ranged from just $15 to $22,000. Porter was actually pretty good at picking the NBA and netted $21,965 from $54,094 worth of wagers (though playing in the NBA certainly pays more). League commissioner Adam Silver took Porter to the woodshed in a press release reported on by ESPN.com saying, “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 game rules are being met with the most severe punishment.”
Taylor’s tale has an upside, for the sports betting industry anyways. It turns out that his scheme was revealed to the NBA by sportsbooks that noticed irregular betting patterns surrounding his play.
It’s unclear what Porter will do now that his NBA career is finished.