The National Basketball Association (NBA) issued a reminder to its teams on Friday about its desire for stricter oversight regarding the types of wagers placed on its games. This indicates ongoing discussions with sportsbooks and regulatory bodies as the league aims to mitigate risks associated with gambling activities.

In a recent memo sent to the teams, the NBA stated that these measures are designed to “enhance understanding and compliance with the league’s betting regulations,” while reaffirming its intention to modify player prop bets to minimize the potential for performance manipulation. The NBA announced plans to augment its utilization of artificial intelligence and other data analytics tools to detect unusual betting patterns.

A series of revisions to the league’s injury reporting protocols have been announced, requiring teams to submit updated reports on game days, excluding the second night of back-to-back games. For games starting at 5 PM or earlier, reports must be submitted between 8 AM and 10 AM. For later games, updates will be necessary between 11 AM and 1 PM.

The NBA highlighted that this adjustment aims to “promote transparency about players’ participation status,” thereby reducing the risk associated with the leaking of confidential information.

This announcement follows gambling-related arrests involving players Terry Rozier and Chauncey Billups. Rozier is said to have informed friends about exiting a game early while playing for the Charlotte Hornets in March 2023, which led bettors to successfully place “under” wagers on his prop bets.

The league mentioned that additional “training touchpoints” will be established throughout the season to educate league officials and team staff on betting guidelines, alongside new compliance measures for individuals not directly employed by teams who may have access to sensitive information.

Furthermore, the NBA is set to revise its Fan Code of Conduct to enhance protections for players, coaches, and team staff from harassment or threats stemming from gambling losses, and will further advocate for stronger anti-harassment legislation on both federal and state levels. The league recognizes that players and coaches have encountered abuse from gamblers due to unsuccessful bets.

Tanking remains a significant concern for the NBA, which is currently examining potential policy alterations, though no new regulations were unveiled.

In related news, Eric Lewis has been reinstated as an official for the NBA G League and will officiate during the G League Winter Showcase in Orlando this weekend. Lewis had previously retired in August 2023 pending an investigation into possible violations of the league’s social media policies.

The NBA confirmed that Lewis “cooperated fully with an investigation concerning his social media activity as an NBA official” and met various benchmarks including stress management training and education on responsible social media practices. He has officiated NCAA games for the past two seasons.

“Over nearly two decades, Eric has established himself as one of the NBA’s top officiating professionals,” stated Byron Spruell, the NBA’s president responsible for league operations. “Though he made a misstep regarding social media engagement, our investigation concluded that his actions did not compromise his ability to officiate games fairly and with integrity.”

“We believe he has learned from this experience and can effectively contribute to the game once more, initially as an NBA G League official, with potential for a return to officiating in the NBA,” Spruell concluded.