The NBA’s betting scandal shows who really runs sports now

A recent NBA gambling scandal centers on Charlotte Hornets guard Terry Rozier allegedly faking an injury to ensure "under" prop bets on his performance would win. Rozier reportedly informed a friend of his plan, who then sold this information to other bettors, leading to hundreds of thousands of dollars wagered on Rozier having a poor game. He subsequently left a March 2023 game early with a sore foot after scoring only 5 points. This event highlights the vulnerability of player prop bets to manipulation by individual athletes. Prop bets, which allow gambling on specific player statistics rather than game outcomes, are seen as the biggest threat to the integrity of sports due to their easy manipulability. Unlike game outcomes, a player can directly control their individual performance metrics. For instance, pitcher Luis Ortiz was investigated for allegedly manipulating pitches to hit specific prop bet outcomes. Sports leagues are increasingly recognizing the dangers of prop bets, with some regulators already banning certain types of props and the NCAA requesting a ban on them in college sports. The NBA initially asked sportsbooks to stop offering props on fringe players, but this measure proved insufficient as evidenced by the Rozier incident. The leagues' attempts to regulate are often reactive and depend on sportsbooks' cooperation, which is not guaranteed. While systems exist to detect unusual betting activity, the existence of such scandals erodes fan trust, leading to accusations of corruption and player harassment. Leagues profit immensely from legal sports gambling but face a critical juncture where maintaining credibility may require sacrificing some of this revenue. The future of sports integrity hinges on whether leagues prioritize trust over short-term financial gains.