(NewsNation) — New rules for NBA teams are set to take effect Monday, aimed at reigning in legal sports betting. The league is stepping up efforts to investigate unusual betting activity involving players, coaches and team staff.
The league’s goal isn’t to ban betting but to shut down risky loopholes. The NBA is tightening injury reporting requirements and using artificial intelligence to flag suspicious activity in an effort to prevent cheating and protect the integrity of the game.
What’s changing, and how could it impact the game?
Starting Monday, teams must file more frequent injury reports on game days, updating players’ status multiple times before tipoff. For games that tip off at 5 p.m. or earlier, the additional report would be released between 8 and 10 a.m.; otherwise, between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
The league said the move would “further promote transparency regarding players’ game participation status, and thereby diminish the value of confidential information that could be ‘tipped’” to bettors or others.
The goal is to eliminate the window in which insiders may know key information before the public and bettors, especially before player prop bets lock.
The NBA is also urging sportsbooks to rein in certain player prop bets, such as limiting wager sizes, tightening “under” bets, reducing the number of players available to bet on, and eliminating wagers that could come down to a single play. These are the types of bets the league believes are easiest to manipulate.
NBA cracks down on information sharing
The crackdown follows the October arrests of Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, who were among 34 people charged in a sweeping investigation into illegal sports betting and alleged Mafia-backed poker schemes.
Prosecutors allege those leaks gave some gamblers an unfair advantage.
FanDuel and DraftKings are official gaming partners of the NBA; about 10 other betting operations have partnerships with the league.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.