gambling-related crimes and misdemeanors, according to ESPN and several other outlets.
Silver’s comments came after the league’s board of governors meeting on Wednesday.
“I have an enormous range of discipline available to me,” Silver said. “But it’s a cardinal sin, what he’s accused of in the NBA, and the ultimate, extreme option I have is to ban him from the game. That’s the level of authority I have here. Because there’s nothing more serious, I think, around this league when it comes to gambling: betting on our games. And that is a direct player involvement. And so, the investigation is ongoing, but the consequences could be very severe.”
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The NBA is investigating Porter for potential irregularities related to his player prop bets in games on January 26 and March 20. In both instances, Porter left the games early due to injury or illness, and his player prop bets ended up being highly profitable for bettors, raising suspicion given Porter’s limited role on the team.
In addition to Porter, Silver – who has sports betting – spoke about some of the issues that have cropped up around the sportsbooks, leagues, and teams all dipping their toes in the same waters.
“At the end of the day, there’s nothing more important than the integrity of the competition,” Silver said. “And so, any issue raised around that is of great concern to me and to all commissioners, to all people who are safeguards, who are all people who are in a position and have a responsibility to safeguard the game. Again, this is a burgeoning industry in the United States. It’s been legal in other places in the world for decades. There’s lessons to be learned from the way that sports betting is monitored and regulated in other jurisdictions. And again, I think as these unfortunate examples come along, we may have to adjust our rules and our partner gaming companies and those companies that aren’t our partners may have to adjust their behavior as well.”
