Legalized sports betting is still a relatively new addition to American sports culture. As such athletes and regulators across leagues are still getting adjusted to the new rules and requirements to ensure that the integrity of sport is maintained.
However, in some instances, lines have been egregiously crossed. Such was the case with former Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter, who was charged with colluding with bettors on his prop bets.
Now, more details have emerged, alleging that Porter would text bettors in the middle of games.
Jontay Porter reportedly used to text bettors DURING games to provide them with updates.
“I went back to locker room to get eye checked on”
“Idk if imma play much more”
“I'm not starting second half
“But if it's garbage time I will shoot a million shots.”
(Via @MikeVorkunov… pic.twitter.com/E577p0RXfi
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) January 13, 2025
Fans reacted to the troubling messages on social media.
“and ppl were defending him when they first announced his lifetime ban, saying it was too harsh of a punishment while bro was dropping coms mid-game in the locker room while his brothers was out there playing,” one fan wrote on Twitter.
“I bet if he was texting FanDuel and DK representatives instead he wouldn’t be in any trouble at all,” one person added.
“But the NBA has not done anything against the Raptors despite thousands of rumours they hired Darko to tank the team so they could get a high pick in the next draft. That sure sounds like fixing games too,” another fan added.
“Nothing is stopping me from believing other players don’t do this. Maybe only smarter,” one fan added.
“It blows my mind that teams / players / leagues are allowed to have gambling deals Like I’m a big Bron fan, but the fact that he can have a betting partner & it’s okay is insane,” someone else added.
“That dude must’ve been in deep with the gamblers to risk his career and freedom to make them money,’ one person wrote.
Hopefully, the league will tighten up restrictions to prevent this sort of thing from happening again.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.