NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the United States needs more sports betting regulation to protect competition and players. He criticised the state-by-state framework, called for monitoring betting promotions and advertising, and said the league has worked with sportsbook partners to restrict some player proposition bets.
Silver’s proposals could affect sportsbook promotion and the availability of player proposition markets.
The day’s most important stories, free. One email a day.
New Jersey state senator John F. McKeon called for stronger gambling prevention, marketplace safeguards and access to treatment, according to a media report. He cited a 2023 Rutgers study that found 5.6% of New Jersey residents were high-risk problem gamblers and urged the state to assess treatment capacity and bring industry, regulators and public health experts together.
Sen. John F. McKeon of New Jersey wants addiction tied to betting handled as a matter of public health, with a focus on prevention, safeguards in the market and better treatment access.
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the league wants access to prediction market data and control over markets linked to sports. He said the NBA regards integrity risks in these markets as comparable to those in sports betting, while favouring federal regulation and a minimum trading age of 21.
The NBA is seeking prediction market data to help identify possible insider trading and safeguard its games, commissioner Adam Silver said. He also sought control of the market and questioned trading on outcomes such as a coach’s dismissal.
The NBA submitted comments to the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission on 30 April, urging regulation of sports-event contracts to protect competition integrity, according to the league’s letter. It called for trading restrictions on athletes and sports personnel, cooperation with league investigations, trader-identity disclosure and use of official league data for settlement.
US lawmakers are seeking information from the NBA after arrests linked to illegal gambling schemes involving NBA figures. Senators Ted Cruz and Maria Cantwell requested documents about the league’s internal investigations since 2020, with a 10 November deadline, while Senator Dick Durbin said he supports a nationwide ban on collegiate prop bets.
The NBA asked the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission for greater oversight of sports event prediction markets, according to the report. In a letter, the league argued that general financial-market oversight lacks sports-specific controls and raised integrity concerns, particularly around player proposition contracts.