The NBA is prohibiting certain types of bets this season, including a player prop parlay used by gamblers in recent betting scandals, according to a league memo distributed to sportsbook partners Friday.
Bettors will not be able to include the under on the same player's statistics in parlays, in addition to other betting markets the league considers problematic, according to the memo, which was obtained by ESPN.
The league also directed its authorized gambling operators, including DraftKings and FanDuel, not to offer bets on the winner of the opening tip, players to miss specific shots and under bets on players who are expected to play fewer than 12 minutes in a specific game.
"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."
The NBA has the authority to restrict what partner sportsbooks offer through its agreements. The NBA estimates its partner sportsbooks account for upward of 99% of the U.S. betting market.
"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 in a statement to ESPN. "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."
Parlay bets on a single player's unders appeared in the federal cases involving NBA players Jontay Porter and Terry Rozier.
Porter admitted in court that he intentionally removed himself from games early to benefit bettors while he was on a two-way contract with the Toronto Raptors during the 2023-24 season.
In the criminal complaint, federal prosecutors said one of the bettors charged in the scheme placed an $80,000 parlay on the under on Porter's assists, rebounds, points, 3-pointers, steals and blocks for a March 2024 game between the Raptors and Sacramento Kings that would pay approximately $1.1 million. Porter left the game after playing only three minutes.
Federal prosecutors allege bettors took a similar approach a year earlier with parlays involving the under on Rozier's stats in a March 2023 game between the Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans. The veteran guard, who was with the Hornets at the time, left after playing approximately nine minutes. Rozier has pleaded not guilty and denied wrongdoing.