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Jontay Porter warms up before the Toronto Raptors vs. Portland Trail Blazers game on March 9th.
CNN
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The NBA has announced that an investigation has revealed that Jontay Porter of the Toronto Raptors has violated gambling rules and has expelled him from the league.
In March, the league announced that it had begun an investigation into irregularities in betting regarding Porter after an unusual pattern of betting was revealed.
As a result of the investigation, the NBA found that Porter “did not comply with league regulations, including disclosing confidential information to sports bettors, restricting his own participation in one or more games for gambling purposes, or betting on NBA games.” It was announced that it was found that the
NBA Commissioner Adam said, “Nothing is more important to our fans, our teams, and everyone involved in our sport than protecting the integrity of NBA competition. That's why Jontay Porter's Rules of the Game…'' Blatant violations of this will result in the harshest penalties.” Mr. Silver said in his statement.
“Legal sports betting provides transparency to help identify suspicious or anomalous activity, but this issue is a challenge to our current implementation practices, including the types of bets offered to our games and players. “It also raises important questions about the adequacy of the regulatory framework in place,” Silver added.
“We continue to work diligently to protect our league and the game, working closely with all stakeholders across the industry.”
The NBA said in a news release that the league has shared information with federal prosecutors and will continue to do so. The league also said the investigation is still ongoing and further findings may be forthcoming.
The Raptors “fully support the league's decision,” and the team will continue to cooperate with the ongoing investigation, the team said in a release.
CNN has reached out to Porter's representatives for comment.
The investigation revealed that prior to the March 20th game, Porter had disclosed confidential information about his health to someone he knew to be an NBA bettor.
Later, another person connected to Porter placed an $80,000 bet on an underperforming Raptors player in that game, which would have netted him $1.1 million.
The NBA announced that $80,000 in bets on the March 20 game were frozen due to “unusual betting activity and behavior by a player.”
The NBA also found that Porter was influencing his appearance in games to influence bets on Toronto's performance in games.
The league also found that Porter placed at least 13 bets on NBA games between January and March of this year.
Total stakes ranged from $15 to $22,000 for $54,094, resulting in a total payout of $76,059 and a net winnings of $21,965.
Although Porter was not involved in any of the games he bet on, he had a series of bets on the Raptors game where he predicted Toronto would lose. All three bets failed.
In 26 games with the Raptors this season, Porter averaged nearly 14 minutes and just over four points per game.
This story has been updated with additional information.
