- The NBA and major sportsbooks agreed to ban several bet types, including “first of” markets like the opening tip.
- Unders on players expected to play fewer than 12 minutes and same-player under parlays are also out.
- The move comes two days after Shane Hennen pleaded guilty in a case tied to NBA player unders.
NEW YORK – NBA bettors just lost some of their favorite markets, as the NBA and several sportsbooks have agreed to ban multiple types of bets, Shams Charania reported Friday, along with ESPN’s David Purdum.
The newly banned bets include:
- The NBA and major sportsbooks agreed to ban several bet types, including “first of” markets like the opening tip.
- Unders on players expected to play fewer than 12 minutes and same-player under parlays are also out.
- The move comes two days after Shane Hennen pleaded guilty in a case tied to NBA player unders.
Per Shams, the league has been talking with legal sportsbooks about tightening wagers in the aftermath of recent betting scandals. The new list joins restrictions from prior seasons, which already took bets on 10-day and two-way players, turnover props, foul bets and missed free throw bets off the board.
Bettors React
The post picked up more than 234,000 views, 2,100 likes and nearly 250 replies within hours, and not everyone was on board.
Many bettors pointed the blame back at the league itself, which has partnered with sportsbooks for years.
“How about the nba just not be involved with sports books at all,” @UtMadden wrote in one of the top replies. @GLDNVice added, “Doing everything but ending the partnership,” while @D_Schandy24 suggested the league “ban active athletes partnering with sportsbooks.”
Others think the house is the real winner.
“They going frame it like this is to prevent players from betting, but in reality its an excuse to remove the props that be hitting,” wrote @Slip_City. @wick5177 put it more simply: “So basically Vegas wins even more now.”
Some fans had more practical questions. @James31Warner asked whether the NBA plans to announce which players are expected to play under 12 minutes, or if bettors are supposed to guess “if someone is going to get hurt or get in foul trouble.”
And the unders crowd took it personally.
“wtf!!!…no more unders??!! what imma do with my Podz unders?” posted @marleek_1, while @Jchampagniepapi mourned the end of the “quick cash era.”
Not everyone was upset, though. “Makes sense. Those are rife for cheating,” wrote @SunderousDunks, and @HoserMess said the news was “not as bad as I thought it would be.”
But the timing isn’t a coincidence.
On Wednesday, gambler Shane Hennen pleaded guilty to charges that include betting against Terry Rozier, Jontay Porter and their teams based on tips that the players planned to play poorly or leave games early. Porter was banned for life by the NBA in 2024 and later pleaded guilty to federal charges.
Those are exactly the kinds of bets the new rules target. Unders on low-minute players and same-player under parlays are the easiest to cash when a player knows he’s leaving early, and a single tip-off or first rebound can be decided by one person.
For bettors, it means fewer options on the NBA betting menu heading into the new season. For the league, it’s another attempt to cut off the markets that fixers have used before.
