Adam Silver Advocates for More Regulation in Sports Betting
NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has expressed the need for greater regulation in sports betting. Silver, who has been a strong advocate for the legalization of sports betting in the United States, spoke about the importance of reducing opportunities for game manipulation related to betting and combating the bad behavior of fans in stadiums. In an interview, Silver highlighted the NBA’s efforts to reduce betting options on players with two-way contracts. During the summer of 2024, the league requested its sports betting partners to refrain from offering prop bets on players with two-way contracts to avoid potential manipulation.Silver also noted that prop bets can lead to player abuse by fans, even when the team wins. The NBA sent a memo to teams last week, emphasizing the need for consistent enforcement of the NBA Fan Code of Conduct. In 2014, Silver advocated for a new approach to sports betting, including federal regulation. Eleven years later, 39 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have launched legal betting markets.We’ve asked some of our partners to remove some of the prop bets, especially when it comes to two-way players, guys who don’t have the same stake in the competition, where it’s too easy to manipulate something, which otherwise seems small and inconsequential to the overall score.
Adam Silver
Silver added that the regulated market allows for greater visibility of bets, who makes them and from where. With this regulated structure of legalized betting, the NBA can monitor bets in ways that were unimaginable years ago.I think, probably, there should be more regulation, frankly. I wish there was federal legislation instead of state by state. I think you have to monitor the amount of promotion, the amount of advertising there is about it.
Adam Silver
