Question of the Day - 02 September 2024

It's not that complicated, but there were several moving parts to this story. We'll describe them briefly. Then there's the speculation as to why. We'll delve into that a bit. 

Jontay Porter is a 24-year-old six-foot-eleven power forward who was signed by the NBA's Toronto Raptors in December 2023. He was, by all accounts, a marginal player, averaging 14 minutes on the floor while he played for the Raptors, meaning he was on the bench for 34. He certainly couldn't swing a game. But he could affect his personal performance and that's where the trouble got serious. 

During that same time period, he was betting on NBA games. He certainly knew he wasn't allowed and that he could get banned for life if he was caught. But between January and March 2024, Porter placed 13 wagers on NBA games; doing so by using another person's account is evidence that he knew he was breaching league policy, especially since a few of bets included parlays in which the Raptors lost and Porter won. According to the NBA investigation, the bets added up to $54,000 and he cashed a little more than $22,000 in winnings. 

As for the big trouble, on January 26 of this year, Porter was returning from a brief absence due to an eye injury. Before his first game back, he enlisted four non-NBA-related alleged co-conspirators to place prop bets on a number of Porter’s individual stats, betting the under on all of them; Porter intended to play for a few minutes, then bench himself, citing the eye injury. He played four minutes, didn't score, didn't take a three-pointer, got one assist, and grabbed three rebounds. All the under bets on him won that night. 

The major prop action on a minor player sent up all kinds of red flags at DraftKings, which alerted US Integrity, one of the businesses that help to "ensure integrity, transparency, and compliance at the intersection of global sports betting and sports." US Integrity sent out an alert to its 100 sports betting clients, including the big three, DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM. According to Bloomberg, "US Integrity issues 15 to 20 alerts monthly, warning clients to watch out for sketchy activity, as it did in the Porter case, and 60% of them result in suspensions, bans, or arrests."

So now Porter was on US Integrity's radar and a couple of months later, he tried the same move again. On March 20, several big under bets were placed on Porter props. He sat himself down after playing three minutes. All the under bets got the money. The first time, US Integrity and the books gave him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe it was just a big coincidence. The second time? No effin' way. On March 22, the Raptors suspended Porter pending a league investigation. Less than a month later, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver banned him for life. And on July 10, Porter pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud. As of this writing, he’s awaiting sentencing; he could receive up to 20 years in prison.  

So why did he do it? He certainly didn't need the money; his Raptors contract was good for $2 million. Perhaps not a lot compared to the rest of the league, but plenty for a 24-year-old, no doubt. Jontay's six-ten brother Michael Porter is in the middle of a $180 million five-year contract with the Denver Nuggets.

So if it wasn't the money, what was it? Basically, it leaves us looking at a compulsive gambler. He couldn't help himself. He's an addict.

Now he goes down in history with Pete Rose, Pittsburgh Pirates infielder Tucupita Marcano, Shohei Ohtani's former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, the Canadian Football League Montreal Alouttes' Shawn Lemon (suspended indefinitely for gambling on league games), Baltimore quarterback Art Schlichter (suspended for one season for betting on at least 10 NFL games as a rookie; returned for 10 games and was done for good), and 10 NFL players suspended for gambling violations since just 2022, with punishments ranging from six games to a year, or even indefinitely.

For most, sports betting is an exciting pastime. For some, it's a profession. For an unfortunate few, it's a downfall.