Report: NBA Tells Sportsbooks to Ban Certain Exploitable Bets

• According to an ESPN report, the NBA will prohibit certain exploitable bets during the 2026-2027 season
• The league directed its gambling operators to prohibit player prop bets on unders in parlays, in addition to other markets they deemed problematic
• Prohibited bets include bets on the tipoff, players to miss specific shots, and others

According to a report from ESPN, the NBA will prohibit its sportsbook partners from offering certain bets they believe are exploitable during the upcoming 2026-2027 season.

David Purdum and Shams Charania of ESPN today reported receiving a memo from the NBA in which the league asked its partnered sportsbooks to ban several betting markets in the upcoming season. Bettors will not be able to include the under on a player’s statistics in parlays, stemming from recent scandals in which NBA players allegedly took themselves out of games early so an under would hit, and other certain markets.

The league will also reportedly not allow other potentially exploitable bets, such as wagers on the opening tipoff, that the league considers problematic.

Bet Types in Scandals Prohibited

In addition to prohibitions on player under statistics in parlays, the league will also prohibit bets on the winner of the opening tipoff, first moments (such as first shot made, first rebound, etc.),players missing specific shots, and under bets on players expected to play fewer than 12 minutes in a game, the ESPN report notes.

The prohibited under bets for parlays is seemingly in response to recent sports betting scandals involving NBA players. Former NBA center Jontay Porter and guard Terry Rozier both were involved in sports betting scandals in which allegations were made that the athletes willingly took themselves out of games, feigning injuries, and telling co-conspirators to bet the under on certain statistical categories.

Under bets on player points figured prominently in both scandals involving Rozier and Porter.

Rozier was arraigned in December 2025 on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering for his alleged role in an illegal sports betting gambling ring which manipulated game performances and used non-public information to win large amounts of money over at least two NBA seasons.

The sports betting scandal, dubbed “Operation Nothing But Net” by the FBI, involved similar individuals who also orchestrated the sports betting scheme involving former Raptors center Porter. Porter pled guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud for his role in manipulating his performance outcomes and is awaiting sentencing. He has also been permanently banned from the NBA.

“There’s a balance between ensuring that we are removing problematic bet types but also ensuring that we don’t just move activity into the illegal market,” NBA executive vice president Scott Kaufman-Ross told ESPN. “And where we landed right now, we think, is the right balance of those two objectives.”

No formal restriction have yet to be revealed for prediction market operators. The NBA has no formal partnerships yet with any prediction market company.

New Integrity Measures

In addition to the prohibitions, the memo obtained by ESPN noted new league integrity measures. Former NFL star and retired FBI agent Charles Tillman will lead in-person training on the leagues sports betting rules, and the league will enhance its artificial intelligence monitoring platform to better identify suspicious betting activity on NBA games.

Additionally, the league will aim to enhance protections for players, coaches, and personnel from harassment by sports bettors by updating its fan code of conduct.