The NBA has told its sportsbook partners to put the kibosh on several different types of bets for the 2026-27 season, according to an ESPN report.
Among the bets to be banned, per a letter from the NBA to the sportsbooks distributed Friday and obtained by ESPN, include parlays that link together a single player’s unders; individual negative outcomes of “first-of” markets, such as first basket or first three-pointer; markets that would reward the bettor for a player missing a shot; winner of the opening tip; and any under bets for players who are expected to get less than 12 minutes of court time in a game.
These restrictions — which come in the wake of a handful of NBA betting scandals — add to the growing list of prohibited wagers, which include no under bets on players on 10-day contracts, no team or individual props on turnovers, no wagers related to fouls, and no bets on missed free throws.
Major operators immediately applauded the move.
“The NBA’s guidance formalizes many of the market restrictions already reflected in DraftKings Sportsbook’s practices,” a DraftKings spokesperson told InGame. “DraftKings supports the NBA’s efforts and is committed to continued collaboration with the league to maintain game integrity, including through appropriate limits on betting markets.”
FanDuel echoed the sentiment.
“The legalized sports betting industry is built on a foundation of dialogue and collaboration with our league partners and the states in which we operate,” a FanDuel spokesperson said. “We remain unwavering in our commitment to building a legal and regulated market that roots out abuses by those who seek to undermine fair competition and damage the integrity of the games we love.”
NBA view
NBA Executive Vice President Scott Kaufman-Ross told ESPN that the goal is to maintain an equilibrium between what can and cannot be offered.
“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,” Kaufman-Ross said. “And where we landed right now, we think, is the right balance of those two objectives.”
The NBA, through its agreements with U.S. sportsbooks, has the right to restrict what bets they can offer. This does not extend to offshore sportsbooks. Furthermore, the NBA currently has no formal deals in place with prediction market operators.
Some history
The league banned Jontay Porter for life in April 2024 after finding that the Toronto Raptors player shared confidential information with bettors, limited his playing time to help their wagers cash, and bet on NBA games himself. Porter later pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. One bettor turned a $7,000 bet into a $33,250 payout by parlaying unders on Porter’s points, rebounds, assists, and three-pointers, which is exactly the type of bet the new rules ban.
Terry Rozier’s case also centers on leaving a game early. Prosecutors claim Rozier told an associate he would leave a March 2023 game while playing for the Charlotte Hornets, thus giving bettors advance notice to load up on his unders. He played just nine minutes and 36 seconds against the New Orleans Pelicans. Rozier pleaded not guilty to wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy charges.
Then there’s Malik Beasley, who was charged in June with manipulating his performance in multiple games with the Milwaukee Bucks in 2024. Prosecutors allege that Beasley told former teammate Ed Davis when he planned to go over or under certain betting lines, and Davis passed the information along to bettors. In exchange, Beasley allegedly had gambling debts reduced or erased. Beasley pleaded not guilty in July.
