NBA Bans Toronto Raptors Forward for Gambling Violations: Inside the Case

Jontay Porter, a Toronto Raptors forward, has been permanently banned from the NBA due to violating gambling rules. An internal investigation revealed that he had placed bets on NBA games, shared confidential information with other gamblers and altered his participation in games to impact the outcome of bets.

The ban came after an investigation into a game played on March 20th against the Sacramento Kings. Porter reportedly informed someone known to be an NBA bettor about his health condition before the game, leading to an $80,000 wager against him. The sportsbook froze this bet, which would have resulted in a $1.1 million payout.

Porter also used an associate’s account to wager on at least 13 NBA games after joining the Raptors, with three involving a single Raptors game. The league alleges that he made bets totaling $54,094 during this period, resulting in a $76,059 payout.

Before signing with the Raptors in December of the previous year, Porter had an active VIP FanDuel account where he reportedly placed millions of dollars in bets between 2021 and 2023 while playing for various NBA G League teams. These bets did not involve NBA or college basketball games.

In September 2020, Porter had started discussing gambling, stock trading and cryptocurrency on X under the username @TayTrades11 but the account has been inactive since 2023. The decision by the NBA to ban Porter highlights its commitment to upholding its integrity and regulations regarding gambling activities.

The league initiated an investigation following this incident and found evidence that Porter had violated its rules by placing bets on games he did not play in and using insider information to influence betting outcomes.

The ban comes after several high-profile cases of gambling among NBA players over the past few years, including former Knicks player Charles Oakley who was arrested for running an illegal sports betting operation and former Nets player Dwayne Carter who was arrested for gambling away $4 million at a casino.

NBA officials have expressed their concern about these incidents and have warned players about the consequences of engaging in any form of illegal gambling activity.

The league’s decision to ban Porter underscores its commitment to maintaining its integrity and enforcing its rules regarding gambling activities.