The league and major sportsbooks agreed to restrict wagers like same-player under parlays and first of bets after gambling scandals put prop markets under scrutiny.
The NBA and several major sportsbooks have agreed to ban or restrict a group of player prop bets the league considers too easy to manipulate. The new rules, reported Friday morning, target parlays that combine under bets on multiple statistics for the same player, so-called first of bets, and under wagers on players expected to average fewer than 12 minutes per game.
Banned first of bets include picks on who wins the opening tip or which player records the first shot or rebound of a game, the kind of low-likelihood, single-play wagers that offer high payouts but are easy to influence if a player or official wanted to tip the outcome.
The move comes roughly a year after a gambling scandal shook the sport and intensified scrutiny of player prop markets league wide. By instructing its sportsbook partners to restrict these specific bets, the NBA is aiming to close off some of the more obvious avenues for manipulation before the new season gets underway.
The agreement covers what the league describes as single-event player markets, a category it sees as particularly vulnerable given how a single possession or a few minutes of playing time can swing a bet's outcome.