An NBA parlay ban now bars bettors at league partners including DraftKings and FanDuel from combining unders on the same player’s statistics. The league sent the memo to its partners on 16 October, according to ESPN’s report and the Associated Press (AP).
What the NBA banned
The memo also restricts bets on the winner of the opening tip, players to miss specific shots and unders on players expected to play fewer than 12 minutes in a game, ESPN reported. The memo called the same-player parlays “low likelihood, high payout bets”. Sportsbooks may not offer alternate lines on unders with larger payouts.
AP reported that the banned first-of markets cover a first basket, 3-pointer, rebound, assist, steal or block. Missed-shot props are barred for a first attempt, a next attempt or any attempt within a set stretch of game time.
The NBA had already limited some props, according to AP, including certain offerings on players on 10-day or two-way contracts and bets on turnovers, fouls and missed free throws. The new rules will apply to WNBA games from 2027.
The league can restrict what partner sportsbooks offer through its agreements. It estimates those partners account for upward of 99% of the US betting market, ESPN reported.
Sportsbook responses
NBA executive vice president Scott Kaufman-Ross told ESPN the league weighed the risk of pushing bettors toward the illegal market when it chose the restrictions.
There’s a balance between ensuring that we are removing problematic bet types but also ensuring that we don’t just move activity into the illegal market. And where we landed right now, we think, is the right balance of those two objectives.
Scott Kaufman-Ross, Executive Vice President, NBA, to ESPN
A DraftKings spokesperson told ESPN that some of the restrictions are already reflected in the sportsbook’s practices.
DraftKings supports the NBA’s efforts and is committed to continued collaboration with the league to maintain game integrity, including through appropriate limits on betting markets.
DraftKings spokesperson, in a statement to ESPN
A spokesperson for FanDuel, a Flutter Entertainment brand, said in a statement to ESPN that the sportsbook remains “unwavering” in building a legal, regulated market that roots out abuses.
Kaufman-Ross said the league considered the whole betting market, including prediction markets, when it set the rules. The NBA has announced no formal partnerships with prediction markets, and he acknowledged that enforcing the restrictions there could be difficult, according to ESPN. TGE has covered how prediction markets are reshaping US sports betting.
Cases behind the ban
Kaufman-Ross said the cases of Jontay Porter and Terry Rozier were factors in the decision, and described past problems as “one of the inputs” in choosing which bets to restrict.
Porter admitted in court that he removed himself from games early to benefit bettors while on a two-way contract with the Toronto Raptors in 2023-24, according to ESPN. Federal prosecutors said in the criminal complaint that a bettor placed an $80,000 parlay on unders across Porter’s assists, rebounds, points, 3-pointers, steals and blocks for a March 2024 game against the Sacramento Kings. The parlay would have paid about $1.1m. Porter left after three minutes. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver banned him from the league in 2024, AP reported.
Prosecutors allege bettors used similar parlays on unders on Rozier’s statistics in a March 2023 game between the Charlotte Hornets and the New Orleans Pelicans, which he left after about nine minutes. Rozier was arrested on 23 October 2025 with Chauncey Billups, then the Portland Trail Blazers’ head coach, and former NBA guard Damon Jones. NPR reported that the FBI cases, filed in the Eastern District of New York, involved leaked inside information and rigged poker games backed by organised crime families.
Prosecutors added sports bribery and honest services wire fraud conspiracy charges in May 2026, alleging Rozier agreed to a $100,000 bribe to manipulate his performance in the 2023 game, ESPN reported after his 10 June court appearance. Rozier pleaded not guilty and has denied wrongdoing.
Next steps
A separate memo to teams, also dated 16 October, requires players, coaches and training staff to attend in-person training on the league’s betting rules from this season, according to AP. ESPN reported that Charles Tillman, a former NFL player and retired FBI agent, will lead the sessions.
The NBA is also expanding its AI-based monitoring platform for unusual betting activity and has updated its fan code of conduct to cover harassment by bettors. It has partnered with Social Protect, which lets players opt in to have harassing social media messages identified and deleted, and launched a text-message hotline for reporting threats, ESPN reported.
A judge in New York has set Rozier’s trial for 8 February 2027.
Source: ESPN, Associated Press
