The National Basketball Association (NBA) is rolling out stricter betting-related safeguards across its 30 teams as it seeks to reinforce the integrity of the game following a sweeping federal gambling investigation that has ensnared players, coaches, and league affiliates.
According to a report by ESPN, the league has issued updated guidance to teams that includes tighter injury reporting requirements and renewed pressure on sportsbook operators to curb certain player prop bets. The measures come as the NBA continues to cooperate with the FBI’s ongoing probe into illegal gambling and insider betting activity.
Under the revised policy, teams will now be required to resubmit injury reports on game days between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. local time and update public injury listings every 15 minutes, sources told ESPN. The changes are designed to reduce opportunities for bettors to exploit non-public or delayed information.
In addition to changes at the team level, the NBA is urging gaming operators to modify how player prop bets are offered. The league is advocating for smaller pools of eligible players, lower maximum wager limits, limitations on “under” bets, and the removal of some bet types that are seen to be especially susceptible to manipulation, such as wagers based on actions inside a single play, according to ESPN.
Player prop bets have become a central focus of integrity concerns across professional sports, with regulators and leagues increasingly warning that such markets heighten the risk of insider leaks and targeted manipulation.
The policy changes follow a series of high-profile arrests linked to the federal investigation. In October, Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier, Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, and former NBA player and assistant coach Damon Jones were taken into custody as part of the probe.
Rozier and Jones were named as defendants in the sports betting case, while Billups was arrested separately for alleged involvement in an illegal poker operation reportedly tied to organised crime. The NBA issued a memo to franchises detailing a review of gambling-related laws, with a focus on prop betting, and put Rozier and Billups on leave from their respective teams after the arrests.
According to court filings, Rozier, Jones, and other defendants allegedly had access to non-public information known by NBA players or coaches, which prosecutors say was passed to co-conspirators in exchange for payments or profit-sharing.
Earlier this month, Rozier pleaded not guilty to federal charges of wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy during an arraignment in Brooklyn federal court. The prosecutors allege that Rozier gave bettors advance notice of a Charlotte Hornets game in March 2023 that he intended to leave early due to injury. This knowledge allegedly allowed for winning “performance under” bets.
Rozier was freed on a $3 million bond and is subject to stringent requirements, such as travel limitations and a gambling prohibition. His next court date is set on 3 March. The guard’s legal team has reaffirmed that he would fight the charges and denies any misconduct.
Billups pleaded not guilty on 24 November to charges linked to an alleged Mafia-backed poker scheme involving rigged games, hidden cameras, X-ray tables, and manipulated card shufflers. Separately, Damon Jones also pleaded not guilty to wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy.
The latest inquiry comes after Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter was banned for life by the NBA last year for disclosing private health information, manipulating his own playing time to affect betting results, and placing several wagers on NBA games using an associate’s account.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has described the latest allegations as “deeply troubling,” reiterating that competitive integrity remains “non-negotiable.” According to several media reports, the league has requested digital records and communications from multiple franchises and deployed AI-driven monitoring tools to identify suspicious betting patterns.
#NBA #SportsIntegrity #SportsBetting #GamblingRegulation #USSports
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