Contact customer service to post
2024-04-16
Less than a week after NBA Commissioner Adam Silver hinted that Toronto Raptors center Jontay Porter could face a lifetime ban from the league for potential gambling-related offenses, more details surfaced Monday on Porter’s purported sports betting habits.
Porter, the younger brother of Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., owned and operated a VIP account at FanDuel, multiple sources told The Action Network. Over a two-year period through 2023, Porter placed millions of dollars at FanDuel’s Colorado sportsbook, according to sources with direct knowledge of his wagering activities.
However, Porter did not wager on any NBA or college basketball games over the period, a source told Sports Handle on Monday night. After Porter went undrafted in 2019, the former University of Missouri center spent time with three separate G-League teams in recent years. According to a source, FanDuel shut down Porter’s account in 2023 before he signed a two-way contract with the Raptors.
During the period in question, Porter placed more than 1,000 wagers at FanDuel, according to a source with direct knowledge of the account history. But there are no immediate indications that Porter made a single wager of more than $1 million.
By comparison, a Florida bettor four years ago reportedly placed $3 million on a cross-sports parlay through a New Jersey proxy. In California, a state where sports betting is illegal, a customer also placed a $5 million wager on the Super Bowl through an illicit ring, according to federal court records. The wager is being reviewed amid the ongoing investigation into a sports betting ring operated by former minor league baseball pitcher Wayne Nix.
Despite the high volume of activity, it is unclear if Porter even made a six-figure wager at FanDuel. Porter spent time on the Nuggets’ summer league team in 2022, before he was named to the G League Wisconsin Herd’s opening-night roster that fall. Midway through the year, Porter’s activity at FanDuel “petered out,” mainly because he started playing basketball again, according to a source who spoke with Sports Handle on the condition of anonymity.
A FanDuel spokesman declined comment on Monday night.
In recent years, anywhere between 10 and 20 professional athletes took part in FanDuel’s VIP program, a source told Sports Handle on Monday. Nevertheless, none of the athletes placed wagers on their respective sports, the source emphasized. The athletes competed in the NFL, the NBA, and Major League Baseball, he added.
Among VIP bettors in Colorado, Porter did not approach the top of the heap in terms of aggregate losses.
“I don’t want to call it a leaderboard, but of our biggest losers in Colorado, [he was] nowhere close,” the source noted.
Last week, the Colorado Division of Gaming issued a directive to commercial sportsbooks requiring them to immediately report any wagering on NBA-affiliated games by Porter. On Monday evening, a window for reporting any potential betting activity made by Porter closed at the end of the business day.
In a Monday afternoon interview with Sports Handle, Colorado Division of Gaming Director Chris Schroder declined comment on any questions related to Porter. In a statement provided to Sports Handle, the agency stated that it is not conducting an active investigation into any betting improprieties by Porter.
Pursuant to 1 CCR 207-2 (1.4 (17)), we are requesting that you review all patron accounts thoroughly to identify if Jontay Porter has ever had an account with your sportsbook. If so, please review Mr. Porter’s account for wagering activities on NBA affiliated games.
Note that all wagering activities by Mr. (Jontay) Porter on NBA affiliated games shall be reported to the Division immediately.
–Directive from the Colorado Division of Gaming to commercial sportsbooks, April 2024
On March 25, ESPN reported that the Raptors pulled Porter from the lineup against the Brooklyn Nets amid an NBA investigation into irregularities on prop bets involving the two-way player. Porter, 24, did not suit up for the Raptors for the remainder of the regular season.
On March 20, Porter left the game against the Phoenix Suns after playing just three minutes with what the Raptors at the time said was an illness. Weeks earlier, the team said Porter re-aggravated an eye injury in a Jan. 26 defeat to the Clippers. Porter appeared in the game for only four minutes and did not attempt a shot in the loss. In both instances, DraftKings reported the following day that a Porter prop represented the largest winning prop bet for bettors on the previous evening’s slate.
— SportsLawHQ ⚖️ (@SportsLawHQ) April 12, 2024
The allegations against Porter are among several well-documented inquiries into potential sports betting activity by college and professional players since the start of the year. Last month, a few sportsbooks pulled the lines on a Temple-UAB college basketball game after the spread moved at least six points in several hours. To date, no one connected with the Temple program has been accused of point shaving. At last month’s NCAA East Regional in Boston, NCAA President Charlie Baker told Sports Handle that the investigation could take longer than anticipated to be resolved.
At the same time, Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Shohei Ohtani has vehemently denied that he placed any wagers on sports after his former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara admitted to dealing with an illegal California bookmaker. Mizuhara was charged in federal court last week with illegally transferring more than $16 million from Ohtani’s bank account to pay off gambling debts.
In the Centennial State, the Colorado Rapids suspended midfielder Max Alves last May amid reports of his ties to a Brazilian match-fixing gang. According to media reports, Alves allegedly received about $12,000 to deliberately receive a yellow card in a 2022 MLS match against the LA Galaxy. Nearly 12 months later, Major League Soccer has not issued a public statement on whether the investigation has been resolved.
Schroder reiterated that the division is committing to maintaining integrity across the marketplace.
“We always listen to any areas of concern to either identify them or not — that’s our normal process in general,” he told Sports Handle. “Our number one concern is to ensure the integrity of betting in Colorado.”
Speaking last week after a meeting with the NBA Board of Governors, Silver indicated that he has an enormous range of disciplinary tools for players who violate the league’s gambling policy. The NBA did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The Action Network on Monday.
Via @TimBontemps https://t.co/ciQKCxkjpN
— David Payne Purdum (@DavidPurdum) April 11, 2024
“It’s a cardinal sin, what he’s accused of in the NBA, and the ultimate, extreme option I have is to ban him from the game,” Silver said last week, via ESPN. “That’s the level of authority I have here, because there’s nothing more serious, I think, around this league when it comes to gambling: betting on our games. And that is a direct player involvement. And so, the investigation is ongoing, but the consequences could be very severe.”
o游戏需求资源高效对接 o精准触达游戏供应商 o免费发布业务需求
欢迎加入 Huidu.io出海遊戲項目交流社區：@HUIDU_SQ
商务合作: @HDDanny @HDYoyi @HDseven777
