NBA Calls for Federal Regulation After Jontay Porter Betting Scandal
NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum Is Seeking More Oversight to Avoid Incidents Like Porter’s
NBA Betting Regulation
The recent scandal involving former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has intensified calls for a federal regulatory framework for sports betting in the United States.
The NBA, led by Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum, is pushing for comprehensive federal oversight to prevent similar incidents in the future and maintain the integrity of the sport.
The Scandal and the Need for Federal Regulation
4 gamblers bet on Raptors games (Jan and March) using legit sites like DraftKings & FanDuel. Here’s the twist: these bets looked fishy, so the sites told the NBA and an anti-cheating group. The NBA hammer came down in April — a lifetime ban for one player (called “Player 1” in the report, but everyone knows it’s Jontay Porter).
BREAKING: Jontay Porter has received a lifetime ban for violating the league’s gaming rules pic.twitter.com/bLyJuP8dXZ
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) April 17, 2024
Mark Tatum emphasized the importance of federal regulation, stating that the current state-by-state legalization of sports gambling has made it possible to detect irregularities.
“The fact that we were able to look at certain irregularities in betting lines, and the data that we were able to receive from our partners allowed this to come into the light,” Tatum said during a video conference with reporters.
He added that a unified federal regulatory framework would create the transparency necessary to uphold the sport’s integrity.
The Last Suspect Turns Himself In
Betting news reported that the last suspect, Ammar Awawdeh, finally turned himself in on Friday (7 June). Looks like they also released more details — apparently Awawdeh texted Porter with a not-so-great “pay off debt” plan.
Awawdeh allegedly sent to Porter a text that reads: “Screenshot this … Me ammar awawdeh born 7/23/91 is forcing [Player 1] to do this.”
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.”
Even though the bets of the defendants were on legit sites, the texts make it sound like Porter was betting illegally; this could mean criminal trouble on top of his NBA games lifetime ban.
Porter’s stats show that his career was just beginning, with only 37 professional games played from 2020 to date. His lawyer revealed on Friday that he was “in over his head” due to a gambling addiction.
Lawyer for Jontay Porter says now-banned NBA player was ‘in over his head’ with a gambling addiction https://t.co/0Wt9YdupYJ
— CP24 (@CP24) June 8, 2024
Jeff Jensen, a government investigations attorney in St. Louis, also stated that Porter is cooperating with investigators.
“Jontay is a good young man with strong faith that will get him through this. He was in over his head due to a gambling addiction. He is undergoing treatment and has been fully cooperative with law enforcement,” Jensen said in a statement provided to The Associated Press.
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