It was bound to happen eventually.
Just look around an NBA arena for a moment. If you’ve been to one recently you’ve probably noticed the bombardment of gambling advertisements that have popped up over the past few years. There’s a FanDuel banner that lights up around the upper bowl of Scotiabank Arena. The lower bowl has advertisements for Proline and Lotto Max popping up every so often. Even the court has an ad for PokerStars Casino pained on the baselines. That’s not to mention the never-ending onslaught of gambling-related commercials on the broadcasts.
Gambling has arrived and with it has come an influx of money for the sports leagues and those affiliated with them.
But there are problems too.
The Toronto Raptors are now dealing with one of them: An investigation involving third-string center Jontay Porter following the discovery of unusual betting activity on prop bets involving the 24-year-old, .
Porter had been a feel-good story in an otherwise disappointing season for the Raptors. He showed up seemingly out of nowhere and began to contribute for the team while filling in for the injured Jakob Poeltl. It wasn’t a lot, but it helped, and it caught the attention of Raptors coach Darko Rajaković who repeatedly praised Porter for his heads-up decision making and floor-spacing ability.
For a player whose career had been plagued with injuries, it looked like Porter was finally getting an opportunity to show what he could do. It seemed like the beginning of something that could help the Raptors in the long-run, potentially as a backup or third-string center for the future.
Now that seems unlikely.
The league in investigating unusual activity on prop bets that predicted Porter to go under his expected statistical totals on Jan. 26 and March 20. On both nights, there was an unusually high amount of money placed on Porter’s prop bets to go under his projected stat line, per ESPN.
On Jan. 26, Porter played just over four minutes and did not attempt a field goal before exiting with a re-aggravated eye injury, the team announced at the time.
Two months later, Porter played just three minutes against the Sacramento Kings before exiting with an illness, the team said, again cashing the unders as the successful bets that night.
The Raptors have not commented on the investigation.
This is the NBA’s first run-in with gambling problems since the widespread legalization of sports betting in Canada and the United States. It’s been nearly two decades since the Tim Donaghy scandal in which the FBI investigated the former NBA referee for allegations of betting on games and controlling the point spread and no active player has been this closely linked to an alarming gambling story since Michael Jordan.
Other sports haven’t been quite as fortunate. Shohei Ohtani, MLB’s biggest star, is currently mired in a gambling-related scandal involving his former interpreter who Ohtani alleges stole $4.5 million from him to cover gambling debts. The NFL has had multiple players suspended for violating gambling protocols in recent years and the NHL slapped Ottawa Senators center Shane Pinto with a 41-game suspension for violating the league’s gambling policy last October.
But this Porter investigation is what these leagues have always feared.
This isn’t a player allegedly betting on other sports, this investigation into Porter suggests the possibility of potential fixing of prop bets. If Porter was in any way incentivized to cash his unders on those nights, he negatively impacted the Raptors in the process.
That casts a shadow of doubt over everything that happens on the court.
It would be naive to think there wouldn’t be issues like this. Gambling has become widespread, and the players are well-aware of the impact it’s having.
“To half the world, I’m just helping them make money on DraftKings or whatever,” Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton . “I’m the prop (bet).”
that he’s received threats from fans upset about losing their bets.
“It is a dangerous game and a fine line that we’re walking for sure,” he said.
But the money is too much to turn down for these leagues and the media outlets that are trying to survive the ever-changing financial landscape of modern-day journalism.
And so it’s hard to see anything changing.
If there’s money up for grabs, people will follow, whether it’s a good idea or not.
Tanking used to be the biggest concern for the NBA. Just the use of the word typically meant hefty fines for organization believed to be intentionally losing to increase their draft odds.
On Monday, the Raptors took another important step down the tanking standings thanks to a 96-88 loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
Toronto took a one-point lead into the fourth quarter thanks to another impressive night from Gary Trent Jr. who led the way with 18 points. But a pair of three-pointers from Trendon Watford and Mikal Bridges gave Brooklyn the lead midway through the frame.
Back-to-back buckets from Dennis Schröder put the Nets up nine in the final minutes and there wasn’t much Toronto could do to muster a comeback.
The loss marked Toronto’s 11th straight.
The Raptors will continue their homestand on Wednesday when the New York Knicks come to town at 7:30 p.m. ET
