Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has received a lifetime ban from the NBA due to violating gambling rules, including leaking health information and betting against his own team. The NBA stated that an investigation into Porter was launched after a game in March that garnered significant attention from sports bettors.
Prior to the game on March 20, Porter allegedly shared confidential health information with a known NBA bettor. Subsequently, he played only three minutes before exiting the game due to illness. The league discovered that Porter leaked information about his health to a sports bettor who placed an $80,000 bet on him underperforming in the game, potentially winning $1 million.
Additionally, the NBA found that between January and March of this year, Porter bet on at least 13 games amounting to $54,094 using an associate's online betting account. Although he did not participate in any of those games, he was found to have bet against his own team in a Raptors game.
NBA commissioner Adam Silver emphasized the importance of upholding the integrity of NBA competition and stated that Porter's violations warranted severe consequences. The league is continuing its investigation into the matter.
The popularity of sports betting has surged since the legalization of sports betting in 2018, with Americans legally wagering $119.84 billion on sports in 2023. In a separate sports-betting incident, the former interpreter for Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani was charged with embezzling $16 million from the pitcher to cover his gambling debts.