Tag: NBA

Bettor who stood to win $1 million in Jontay Porter betting scam pleads guilty

On Wednesday (30 October) Mahmud Mollah became the third person in the Jontay Porter sports betting scandal to plead guilty to wire fraud conspiracy.

Mollah is the gambler who placed bets that would have won $1 million (£776,609/€920,850) on the performance of then two-way NBA player Jontay Porter. Porter, who was playing for the Toronto Raptors on a 10-day contract, removed himself early from games on 26 January and 20 March so he and the gamblers could win “under” bets.

Earlier this month, NBA betting partners, including BetMGM, DraftKings and FanDuel, announced they would stop taking bets on the league’s lowest-paid players, according to The Athletic. No “under” bets will be available on two-way players or players on 10-day contracts. Porter was set to earn $56,000 from his short-term contract with the Raptors and the NBA believes these players are most at risk for being corrupted by bettors.

Mollah pleaded in the the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York. Port..

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Jontay Porter effect could be just the beginning of banning bets

Major sportsbooks have done away with certain NBA player props and the potential ramifications go far beyond that.

Jontay Porter is unlikely to ever take the court for an NBA team again.

Still, this player with a career average of 11.2 minutes per game is a central figure in one of the league’s biggest storylines of the new season.

A number of national sportsbooks such as BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, ESPN Bet and FanDuel won’t be posting NBA player prop unders for those on 10-day or two-way contracts. The rationale? These players have less financial security than those under contract for the season. Because of that they could be enticed to purposely tank their performances.

Call this the Jontay Porter effect.

Porter did exactly this – exiting games early due to supposed injury or illness, ensuring under bets on his props would win – a season ago as a member of the Toronto Raptors. This scheme led him to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud. He was also banned for life f..

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How are personalisation and technology driving NBA in-play betting?

The NBA regular season tips off on Tuesday (22 October) with the reigning champion Boston Celtics hosting the New York Knicks. There’s sure to be fast-paced excitement on the court and operators will look to tap into that with their in-play offerings, which have surged in popularity of late.

In June the provider Simplebet, which specialises in micromarket pricing, revealed it had enjoyed a third straight NBA season of growth (up 75% year-on-year), with nearly 13 million in-play bets placed during the 2023-24 season.

Around $325m was wagered with operators using Simplebet’s microbetting products, with the company offering 86 unique in-play markets during the NBA post-season.

Following Simplebet’s third season of consecutive growth, DraftKings announced it had reached an agreement to acquire the microbetting specialist.

The landscape of sports betting in the US since the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) was repealed in 2018 has been one of constant evolutio..

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Weekend Report: US sportsbooks switch up prop bet rules for NBA, row erupts over Betfred shop signage

Welcome to the Weekend Report, where iGB looks at the news that you may have missed across Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This week: US bettors face new rules on NBA player prop bets, new betting shop signage comes under fire and Conor McGregor loses big-money bet.
US sportsbooks to halt prop betting on lower-paid NBA players
First up, major sportsbooks in the US will no longer allow players to place a prop-style bet on the lowest-earning NBA players, sources have told The Athletic.

Quoting the article, the New York Times reported that the decision comes after months of talks between the NBA and its gambling partners. These include both FanDuel and DraftKings. From now on, no “under” bets will be offered on players on a two-way or 10-day contract.

While NBA players make several million dollars a year, players on shorter contracts earn far less. As such, they potentially face greater threats over match and betting manipulation.

The New York Times highlights one case last year when the ..

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Judge denies Jontay Porter’s request for his passport so he can play pro ball in Greece

On Tuesday (16 July), banned NBA player Jontay Porter filed a motion to get his passport back before sentencing in an NBA sports betting scandal, so he can play basketball in Greece. A district court judge denied the motion.

The motion, filed by Porter in the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York, included four requests:

1. for Jontay Porter to get his passport back;

2. to travel to and around Europe;

3. to live in Patras, Greece; and

4. to play pro basketball in Patras, Greece.

Porter last week pleaded guilty to felony charges and admitted to being part of a gambling scandal in which he removed himself from two NBA games so others could win their bets. Four others have been charged in the scandal.

Porter is set to be sentenced in December. Federal prosecutors are recommending that he serve 41-51 months in prison. He’ll also have to pay more than $450,000 in fines and fees.

Porter was released on $250,000 bond put up by his wife and mother.

Jontay Porte..

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Ex-NBA player Jontay Porter pleads guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud

On Wednesday (10 July) former Toronto Raptor Jontay Porter turned himself in to federal authorities and pleaded guilty to a conspiracy to commit wire fraud in a sports betting scandal that involves four others. Porter entered his plea at the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York.

Federal prosecutors recommended 41-51 months in prison and Porter will have to pay more than $450,000 in fines and fees. According to the New York Post, Porter was released on $250,000 bond put up by his wife and mother.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver banned Porter from the league for life in April, several weeks after news broke that he may have violated league wagering rules. Porter tampered with two games so that his co-conspirators could win “under” prop bets. NBA players are allowed to gamble, but are forbidden from betting on basketball and from fixing games. Porter is the only NBA player to be banned or suspended for betting since PASPA was overturned in 2018.

According to a federal ..

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US DoJ preps to criminally charge Porter with felony in illegal gambling scheme

Federal prosecutors in New York are preparing to charge Jontay Porter for his involvement in the illegal betting scandal that got him banned from the NBA. Porter's name appeared on a federal court docket on Wednesday (3 July), reports the New York Daily News.

Court papers were not immediately available but, according to the Daily News, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) will seek felony charges. Porter is accused of game fixing in an illegal gambling scheme. Four others have been arrested and arraigned for conspiracy to commit wire fraud in the case.

The Daily News wrote that Porter will likely be charged “through an ‘information’ document instead of an indictment, which typically happens when a suspect plans to plead guilty to the charges at the case’s onset”.

Porter allegedly removed himself from two Toronto Raptors games to allow bettors to win on “under” prop bets. DraftKings reported suspicious activity to the NBA after games on 26 January and 22 March. The four arrested..

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Ontario police open Jontay Porter criminal investigation

On Tuesday (18 June) a representative for Ontario's Provincial Police told ESPN that it has opened a criminal investigation into former Toronto Raptor Jontay Porter.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver in April issued Jontay Porter a lifetime ban from the league for betting on his own team and sharing personal information with bettors.

According to ESPN, the OPP Investigation and Enforcement Bureau will coordinate with US federal authorities, who are also investigating wrongdoing surrounding two NBA games. Porter took himself out of games on 26 January and 22 March. According to a federal affidavit, Porter allegedly left the games early at the behest of of Ammar Awawdeh.

“Screenshot this … Me ammar awawdeh born 7/23/91 is forcing [Player 1] to do this,” reads a text in the affidavit. Porter allegedly replied with: “If I don’t do a special with your terms. Then it’s up. And u hate me and if I don’t get you 8k by Friday you’re coming to Toronto to beat me up.”

Porter is not identifie..

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Fourth suspect in NBA gambling scandal turns himself in

On Friday (7 June) the US Attorney's office for the US District Court for the Eastern District of New York announced that the fourth, and last, suspect in the NBA sports betting scandal has turned himself in. Ammar Awawdeh is scheduled to be arraigned in Brooklyn Federal Court later today.

Awawdeh, Timothy McCormack, Mahmud Mollah and Long Phi Pham all allegedly conspired with former NBA player Jontay Porter. According to the complaint, the NBA gambling scandal revolved around Porter twice removing himself from games so that “under” bets made by the defendants would pay.

The four defendants bet on Toronto Raptors games which were played on 26 January and 20 March. They wagered with legal operators DraftKings and FanDuel, who ultimately reported suspicious activity to the NBA and the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA).

In April NBA commissioner Adam Silver banned Porter from the league for life. Porter isn’t directly named in the complaint, but is referred to ..

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Two more arrested in NBA betting scandal

Two more people were arrested and arraigned in the NBA sports betting scandal on Thursday (6 June) morning, the US Attorney's office for the Eastern District of New York announced. That brings to three the number of conspirators arrested. One still remains at large.

Timothy McCormack and Mahmud Mollah were both released on $50,000 bond on Thursday morning. They were questioned by federal investigators as early as 30 May, according to the complaint.

Both allegedly bet on games in which then-Toronto Raptor Jontay Porter removed himself early so certain prop bets would pay. Porter is not directly named in the complaint, but the complaint refers to an NBA player who was banned for life. NBA commissioner Adam Silver issued Porter with a lifetime ban in April. He is the only player in the league to have been banned for betting thus far.

Porter was found to have bet on Raptors games and shared personal health information with his co-conspirators.

Two suspects won more than $1m tota..

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Leaving on a jet plane? Man tied to Porter betting scheme busted at JFK

Banned NBA player Jontay Porter intentionally removed himself from games as a way to pay back “large gambling debts” according to a complaint filed in US District Court for the Eastern District of New York. One of Porter's “co-conspirators” was arrested on Monday (3 June) and appeared in court the following day.

Long Phi Pham, also known as “Bruce,” was ordered held in custody until trial, according to a US Attorney’s Office press release. Per the NY Daily News, Pham was identified as one of the top 1% of poker players in the world at his arraignment on Tuesday.

He was arrested at JFK Airport on Monday after booking a one-way ticket to Australia. Pham is being charged with wire fraud. Pham was carrying about $92,000 in cash and cashier’s cheques, three cell phones and betting slips, according to the complaint.

Three more participants at large

Three other co-conspirators have not yet been arrested. Porter is not named in the complaint, although there is reference to a “Playe..

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Genius-owned Second Spectrum extends with NBA

Second Spectrum, part of the Genius Sports group, has signed a multi-year extension to its partnership with the National Basketball Association (NBA).

Under the deal, Second Spectrum will serve as an official NBA League Pass augmentation provider and an official NBA team basketball analytics provider.

NBA tracking data will continue to be integrated into Genius Sports’ basketball insights and analytics engine, while Genius Sports will also continue to provide its services to all 30 NBA teams.

Read the full story on iGB North America

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