No Evidence of Jontay Porter Betting on NBA Games

Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter has been the center of investigations regarding his betting activities, with allegations surrounding the nature of his wagers. However, multiple media reports on Tuesday confirmed that Porter did not place bets on basketball, a relief given the NBA’s strict rules against players betting on their own sport.

According to a source speaking to Sports Handle, from 2021 to 2023, Porter placed over 1,000 bets and maintained VIP status with the betting platform FanDuel. Importantly, FanDuel’s records indicate that among its 10-20 professional athlete VIPs, none have placed bets on their respective sports.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver recently said that any player found betting on their own games or the sport itself would face a lifetime ban from the league, underscoring the league’s position on maintaining the integrity of the sport, particularly in light of legal betting expansions in various states.

In Colorado, where Porter had his FanDuel VIP account, sports betting became legal on May 1, 2020. Similarly, Ontario, where the Raptors are based, introduced legal single-event sports betting on April 4, 2022. In line with these regulations, Colorado authorities have required betting operators to report any NBA game bets linked to Porter.

The NBA launched an investigation into Porter’s betting activities after DraftKings highlighted unusual betting patterns on his player props. Specifically, on January 26, bets on Porter making less than 0.5 three-point shots reportedly garnered significant winnings for bettors—this was a game where he played only four minutes due to an eye injury. A similar situation arose on March 20, where props involving Porter again led to high payouts after he played just three minutes.

Before his tenure with the Raptors, Porter played for three G-League teams following his undrafted entry into professional basketball from the University of Missouri in 2019. His brother, Michael Porter, Jr., plays for the Denver Nuggets, further highlighting the family’s involvement in professional basketball.