Overview
- Appearing Tuesday on The Pat McAfee Show, the NBA commissioner said more regulation — ideally federal legislation — is needed to reduce gambling-related manipulation and to curb bad fan behavior tied to wagers.
- The league has asked sportsbook partners to scale back certain player prop offerings, with a focus on pulling bets on two-way players that Silver says are easier to manipulate.
- A memo sent to teams last week urged consistent, vigilant enforcement of the NBA Fan Code of Conduct to deter and address harassment of players at games, according to ESPN.
- Silver said legalized, regulated markets give the NBA traceability to flag aberrational betting patterns and pinpoint where wagers are placed through geolocation, including inside arenas.
- The push follows the lifetime ban of former Raptor Jontay Porter for manipulating performance to influence bets, as broader criticism grows over the NBA’s betting ties and reports that new media deals could make games harder to access.