NBA tells sportsbooks to drop first-basket bets and some player unders as it adds an AI betting watchdog

The NBA is tightening the rules on what fans can bet on before the new season tips off.

In a memo sent Friday to its authorized sportsbook partners the league said several kinds of wagers will no longer be offered. Bettors will not be able to bet on which player scores the first basket or which team wins the opening tip. They also cannot take the under on a player expected to play fewer than 12 minutes or group several under props on the same player into one parlay.

Why unders are the target

Under bets on a single player have been at the center of recent gambling cases. Former player Jontay Porter was banned after admitting he left games early to help bettors who had wagered on his unders. Federal prosecutors have accused Terry Rozier of doing something similar in a 2023 game. Rozier has pleaded not guilty and his case is unresolved.

League executive Scott Kaufman-Ross said the goal is to remove problem bets without pushing fans toward illegal betting. The NBA estimates its partners make up about 99 percent of the U.S. betting market. The new limits add to older ones such as bans on bets involving players on 10-day or two-way deals.

An AI watchdog and more training

A second memo to teams said the league has built an AI-based monitoring platform. It studies basketball data, injury reports, social media posts about player availability and individual betting data to flag suspicious activity.

Former NFL cornerback and retired FBI agent Charles Tillman will lead in-person training on betting rules for every team. Rookies will also get betting education at the draft combine and during the Rookie Transition Program.

The league also updated its fan code of conduct to ban betting-related harassment of players and launched a text-message hotline to report threats. Commissioner Adam Silver has said the league wants more access to betting data and more control over which markets are offered.