The NBA’s deputy commissioner and chief operating officer says the league wants a strong federal regulatory framework for legalized gambling in the United States.
Mark Tatum made the comments a day after a New York man was charged in a sports-betting scandal that spurred the NBA to ban former Toronto Raptors centre Jontay Porter for life.
Those charges are the first known criminal fallout from the matter.
NEW: Banned NBA player Jontay Porter warned his partners in a scheme to rig “prop” bets that “we might just get hit with a RICO,” new court papers show.
A Brooklyn man, Long Phi Pham, has been arrested. Feds are looking for 3 more.
@wojespn @Kyle_Schnitzer pic.twitter.com/HlkP5JnWO5
Tatum had no comment on the criminal matter, but says the state-by-state legalization of sports gambling in the U.S. made it possible to track the irregularities that led to Porter being banned.
Porter is not named in the court complaint, but its specifics about “Player 1” match the details of the former Raptors player’s downfall this spring. Brooklyn federal prosecutors declined to comment on whether Porter is under investigation.
Brooklyn U.S. Attorney Breon Peace says the alleged co-conspirators and “Player 1” participated “in a brazen, illegal betting scheme that had a corrupting influence on two games and numerous bets.”
WATCH | CBC Sports discusses Porter’s NBA’s ban:
Myles Dichter of CBC Sports speaks to Andrew Nichols after Raptors centre Jontay Porter was banned by the NBA, after a league probe found he disclosed information to sports bettors and bet on games.