After a wave of betting scandals, the NBA told its sportsbook partners to bar or limit certain wagers, ESPN’s David Purdum and Shams Charania report.
The memo to approved operators—including DraftKings and FanDuel—laid out the required changes, ESPN said.
- Players’ “under” props can no longer be combined in a single parlay.
- A parlay bundles multiple bets for a larger payout; every leg must win.
- Bettors cannot place “under” props on players projected to log fewer than 12 minutes.
- First‑of micro‑bets—like predicting the opening tip winner or the first basket scorer—are now off‑limits.
Because its contracts grant it control, the NBA can dictate which bets its partners may offer, and those partners cover roughly 99% of U.S. wagering, the reporters note.
“We must curb risky bet types without driving bettors to illegal markets,” NBA executive vice president Scott Kaufman‑Ross told ESPN. “Our current stance strikes that balance.”
An “under” prop targets a player’s stats—points, rebounds or assists—below a set line. Parlay combos of these props have featured in recent scandals tied to former players Jontay Porter and Terry Rozier. For my money, this clampdown is essential to preserve fan trust.
Porter, banned from the league, confessed in court to leaving games early to help bettors on “under” props. Prosecutors say Rozier did the same in a March 2023 matchup, exiting after nine minutes due to injury; he denies the claim and remains under trial.
Charania noted on Twitter that the new restrictions add to earlier rules, which already bar bets on 10‑day or two‑way contracts and on props involving turnovers, fouls or missed free throws.