Raptors' Jontay Porter placed "millions" in sports bets: report

Currently the centre of a major NBA betting scandal, Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter allegedly was a “VIP” client at one of North America’s most commonly used sportsbooks.

According to a report published on Action Network, Porter held a VIP account with FanDuel in Colorado, placing “millions” in sports wagers from 2021 through 2023.

Notably, the report said that Porter did not place any bets on NBA or college basketball. Placing bets on the NBA or any of its related properties is against league policy, though college basketball does not fall under that umbrella.

“Porter’s FanDuel account activity ceased a few weeks before he signed a two-way contract with the Toronto Raptors, a source said,” the article read. Porter was on three separate NBA G League teams from 2021 through 2023, and signed a two-way contract with Toronto on December 9, 2023.

Porter, who last played for the Raptors on March 22, is the centre of an NBA investigation due to “irregularities” flagged around prop bets placed on the Toronto bench player.

An ESPN story with a joint byline of David Purdum, Brian Windhorst and Adrian Wojnarowski pointed out two games involving Porter — taking place on January 26 and March 20 — that had an unusually high number of prop bets placed on the player.

In both instances, Porter left the game with less than five minutes played, with underbets on Porter’s individual stats reportedly being the highest moneymaker for NBA bettors those two nights on the DraftKings sportsbook.

A Daily Hive exclusive investigation also uncovered that Porter had a long history of discussing money on an alternate X account, which included continual posts, likes, and replies about gambling, cryptocurrency, and the stock market.

NBA commissioner Adam Silver confirmed the league’s investigation last week but would not comment on the status of it.

“There is nothing more serious around this league than gambling and betting on these games with direct player involvement. The consequences could be very severe,” Silver said last week at a press conference following an NBA Board of Governors’ meeting, via ClutchPoints’ Brett Siegel.