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Jontay Porter of the Toronto Raptors will never play in the NBA after found him guilty of betting.
After an inquiry revealed that 24-year-old Jontay Porter had broken betting regulations, the NBA removed Porter from the team.
After odd betting patterns surrounding Porter surfaced, the league declared in March that it had launched an inquiry into anomalies regarding bets related to the player.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement that the league's investigation concluded that Porter was guilty.
The statement said, Porter, “violated league rules by disclosing confidential information to sports bettors, limiting his own participation in one or more games for betting purposes, and betting on NBA games.”
“There is nothing more important than protecting the integrity of NBA competition for our fans, our teams and everyone associated with our sport, which is why Jontay Porter’s blatant violations of our gaming rules are being met with the most severe punishment.
“While legal sports betting creates transparency that helps identify suspicious or abnormal activity, this matter also raises important issues about the sufficiency of the regulatory framework currently in place, including the types of bets offered on our games and players..
“Working closely with all relevant stakeholders across the industry, we will continue to work diligently to safeguard our league and game.”
In a news release, the NBA stated that it has provided federal prosecutors with material and would do so in the future.
The league added that it is still conducting its inquiry and may find further information.
According to the investigation, Porter disclosed his health status—which is private information—to a person he knew to be an NBA bettor prior to a game on March 20.
Another Porter-related bettor then wagered $80,000 that the Raptors player would underperform in that game, and they would have won $1.1 million.
Porter scored slightly more than four points and played about 14 minutes a night in 26 games for the Raptors this season.
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