Jontay Porter gambling scandal: Everything to know right now

It’s all happening at once for the NBA. 

Sports betting impacts the game nightly, with stories of league personnel and their personal experiences coming to light, magnifying the potential dangers involving legalized gambling.

Cleveland Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff told reporters that he received threats from sports bettors less than a week, reporting the matter to the league office. Now, Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter is being investigated by the Association following “multiple instances of betting irregularities over the past several months,” according to ESPN.

The Porter situation is fresh, meaning it will continue evolving as we find out more information, but here’s everything to know about the gambling scandal at this moment in time.

Jontay Porter gambling scandal: Everything to know right now

Prop bets involving Porter from games held on Jan. 26 and Mar. 20 are under center. 

The meeting on Jan. 26 was against the Los Angeles Clippers, in which “there was increased betting interest on the under for Porter props, which for the night were were set at around 5.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists,” per the report from ESPN, in addition to an over/under for Porter’s made 3-pointers, which set at 0.5.

Porter played only four minutes that night before leaving the game due to what the Raptors called an “aggravation of an eye injury,” which he suffered against the Memphis Grizzlies days before. He finished with zero points, three rebounds, and one assist, failing to attempt a 3, so all his under props hit.

DraftKings Sportsbook said the under on Porter’s 3s was the most profitable NBA prop bet of the night, per their daily report that discusses betting outcomes for account holders. 

Two days later, Porter returned to action, scoring 12 points with seven rebounds and three assists in 19 minutes of play against the Atlanta Hawks.

Fast forward to Mar. 20 against the Sacramento Kings, when Porter was limited to three minutes of playing time after leaving the game due to what the Raptors reported to be an illness, scoring zero points on one missed shot attempt with two rebounds. His over/unders for that night were roughly 7.5 points and 5.5 rebounds.

Like the instance against the Clippers in January, DraftKings Sportsbook reported that Porter’s prop bets finished atop the list of most profitable NBA wagers the following day.

ESPN reported that “at least one other U.S. sportsbook detected unusual betting interest on the Porter props in the games in question,” mentioning that multiple accounts tried placing bets “upward of $10,000 and $20,000 on Porter unders in the January game against the Clippers.”

Raptors head coach Darko Rajakovic seemed as surprised as everyone else once catching wind of the news. “I never doubt injuries. I never doubt honesty from players,” he said. “Obviously, I’ve never had a situation like this before,” he added.

Porter is the brother of Denver Nuggets star wing Michael Porter Jr. and is on a two-way contract with the Raptors. He is making $559,782 this season, far below the $9.7 million average salary for the 2023-24 NBA campaign. 

In 26 games this season, Porter is averaging 4.4 points and 3.2 rebounds since Toronto signed him on Dec. 8, which marked his return to the NBA following a two-year hiatus due to a slew of knee injuries.