LAS VEGAS (AP) — Jontay Porter is too much for the NBA when it comes to sports betting.
The NBA has led America’s professional sports leagues into previously forbidden territory, balancing betting and game integrity. The NBA has established guidelines and education programs to educate everyone from the league office to each team’s players, coaches and support staff so they understand the potential pitfalls of violating the rules.
Violating these established guidelines can result in a lifetime ban.
“A lot of what’s going on right now is a lack of awareness, a lack of sophistication, what’s OK and what’s not,” said Baird Vogel, a California lawyer who works in the sports betting industry. “For some, it may seem obvious, but for many… it’s new territory.”
That became expensive territory when Porter was playing for the Toronto Raptors.
He was banned for life in April for betting on games that included the Raptors losing and leaking confidential information to gamblers.
To prevent further incidents like this from occurring, the NBA is working with the National Basketball Players Association to make addressing sports betting a priority.
Rookies will participate in a sports betting awareness session as part of their required general training. This includes topics on and off the court, such as how to handle financial matters and interacting with coaches, teammates, and the media.
Dalton Knecht, who was selected 17th overall in this year’s draft by the Los Angeles Lakers, said the league is doing a good job of not overcomplicating matters.
“Personally, I don’t gamble,” Knecht said after a preseason game against the Golden State Warriors in Las Vegas. “I don’t go gambling. They talk about it. They’ll say things like, ‘You can’t bet.’ They keep it simple. ”
But it’s not just for entry-level players. Everyone wearing an NBA uniform must participate in anti-betting sessions conducted annually by the league or a player’s respective team. Failure to appear, unless deemed to be without good cause, will result in a $100,000 fine.
League and team staff will receive similar training.
“Preserving the integrity of the game is of paramount importance and has been since long before sports betting was legalized nationwide,” the league said in a statement to The Associated Press. “We have a multifaceted compliance and monitoring program…”
But things aren’t always that simple.
Complicating matters, Vogel said, is the potential for leagues and teams to have professional relationships with sports betting companies, blurring the line between what is acceptable and what is not. He said that there is.
In 2018, the NBA became the first major American professional league to sign a deal with a gambling company, after Commissioner Adam Silver penned an op-ed in the New York Times supporting the legalization and regulation of sports betting nearly a decade ago. It became a sports league. Make a deal with MGM. The league also signed FanDuel and DraftKings as official sponsors in 2021.
Teams have their own contracts. For example, the reigning NBA champion Boston Celtics agreed to a deal with FanDuel in May to sponsor a documentary series on their successful run to a record 18th championship.
Leagues and teams are keen to receive the huge sums of money that such sponsorships can bring, while at the same time ensuring that the perception that the games are played fairly remains the same.
“So I think it’s becoming increasingly difficult for players to figure out what’s wrong and what’s right,” Vogel said.
Changes in enforcement regulations in various sports are also causing potential disruption.
The NCAA decided last year to consider several factors, including the amount of the stake, before considering what penalties to impose. The largest governing body for university sports has also relaxed its return rules.
The NBA is working with the players’ association to maintain the same disciplinary rules that have been in place since shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way to legalize sports betting in all states six years ago.
Now, 38 states (including Washington, D.C.) have legalized sports betting, and the NBA, like other leagues, is trying to catch up. Vogel said each state has its own rules and regulations, which increases uncertainty about what is permissible.
“Look, we just went through a huge change in sports betting,” Vogel said. “These organizations that now have sponsorship relationships with Caesars and MGMs around the world are the same organizations that were on the other side of the Supreme Court’s decision in 2018, begging the Supreme Court not to legalize sports betting.
“It’s understandable that there’s a lot of confusion, but the best way to overcome it is through education and training.”
___
Freelance writer WG Ramirez contributed to this report.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA
