The NBA is raising the bar for sports betting monitoring ahead of the 2026-2027 season.
The league is tightening restrictions on bets offered by authorized gambling partners and introducing artificial intelligence to help identify suspicious bets, according to two documents obtained by CNBC.
The move comes as Commissioner Adam Silver pushes for expanded access to betting data and greater control over the types of markets offered at league games. He said concerns also extend to prediction markets.
“For us, whether you call it prediction markets or whether you call it sports betting, it’s the same problem for our league and I think it’s the same problem for all leagues,” Silver told CNBC in Macau last week. “First and foremost, there is an issue of integrity.”
The letter sent to sports betting companies states: fan duel, draft kingsFanatics, and more, the NBA has placed limits on bets on which player will score the first basket, bets on players expected to play less than 12 minutes per game, and parlays that combine multiple bets on the same player’s underperformance.
These types of bets can raise integrity concerns as a single player can influence the outcome.
The changes come in the wake of a series of gambling-related incidents involving notable NBA figures, including former players Jontay Porter, Terry Rozier and Damon Jones, and former coach and player Chauncey Billups.
Detail of the NBA logo before the game between the Detroit Pistons and Toronto Raptors at Little Caesars Arena on March 31, 2026 in Detroit, Michigan.
Nick Antaya | Getty Images
AI monitoring
A separate memo sent Friday to team presidents, general managers, integrity officers and attorneys says the NBA has developed an AI-based internal monitoring platform. The system analyzes basketball data, injury reports, social media information about player availability, and personal betting data.
The platform is designed to help the league “quickly identify and investigate potentially suspicious gambling activity,” according to a memo from Dan Spillane, the NBA’s executive vice president of league governance and policy.
Silver’s comments underscore the importance the league places on having that information.
“So we want access to that data. We also want control of the market,” Silver told CNBC.
Strengthening education and training
The league is also increasing training and education regarding sports betting. The memo said Charles Tillman, a former NFL player and former FBI agent, would provide in-person training to each team.
The league also announced that it has added new sports betting training to NBA rookies who will be training during the NBA Combine and mandatory Rookie Transition Program.
The letter also highlights steps the league is taking to better protect players and officials from harassment and intimidation by sports bettors.
As gambling becomes more widespread, some gamblers have begun harassing players on social media for gaming performance that may be related to gambling.
To address this, the league updated its NBA fan code of conduct to emphasize the prohibition of betting-related harassment.
The League also partners with third-party service providers to help monitor and control harassing messages. We’ve also launched a new text message-based hotline to safely report threats.
The memo does not specify how the restrictions apply to prediction market platforms.
Silver said in Macau that he favors a national framework for federal regulation of sports betting.
“Right now, we have about 40 different jurisdictions regulating us, so I think it’s in our best interest to have a consistent policy across the country,” he said.
