Banned NBA player Jontay Porter is now expected to face federal felony charge

Jontay Porter’s life is starting to sound like a living nightmare, as more and more evidence of his gambling struggles have surfaced after police and federal prosecutors have provided more details. Now it seems that the former Raptors player will be charged with a federal felony connected to the sports betting scandal that has him banned from professional basketball. 

This Tuesday, federal prosecutors in Brooklyn filed what’s known as a criminal information, as the NBA said that the investigations recently discovered that before “the [Toronto] Raptors’ March 20 game, [Jontay] disclosed confidential information about his own health status to an individual he knew to be an NBA bettor.”

“Another individual with whom Porter associated and known to be an NBA bettor subsequently placed an $80,000 parlay proposition bet with an online sports book, to win $1.1 million, wagering [Porter] would underperform in the March 20 game,” it reads.

Court papers indicate former Raptors player Jontay Porter will be charged with a federal felony connected to the betting scandal that spurred the NBA to ban him. https://t.co/AD90GWKHsP

— NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) July 3, 2024

It is now known that the athlete owed “significant gambling debts” to the other bettors he was associated with, who encouraged the him to settle them with a “special”, which meant intentionally exiting games so that they could successfully wager on him missing out of what sportsbooks bet he’d accomplish.

“If I don’t do a special with your terms. Then it’s up,” Porter answered in an encrypted message early this year, according to the investigation. “And u hate me and if I don’t get u 8k by Friday you’re coming to Toronto to beat me up.”

The league explained how it was first alerted of the player’s suspicious activity by licensed sportsbooks, as well as organizations that monitor these markets and bettors. U.S. Integrity, which is a Las Vegas firm that works alongside bookers, the leagues and state gaming regulators have been following Porter’s footsteps and said that they are “proud to continue to support the NBA in initiatives relating to regulated sports betting.”

“There is nothing more important than protecting the integrity of NBA competition for our fans, our teams and everyone associated with our sport, which is why Jontay Porter’s blatant violations of our game rules are being met with the most severe punishment,” expressed NBA commissioner Adam Silver when announcing the punishment.

Porter’s lawyer Jeff Jensen admits player was ‘in over his head’ with gambling addiction and received threats

It’s already been three months since Jontay Porter was first suspended by the NBA for being involved in a sports betting scandal, and recently his lawyer spoke about his troubles. According to the attorney, the former Raptors player was “in over his head” with a gambling addiction and is now seeking help.

The statements were provided by The Associated Press, as they assure that Jeff Jensen, who is the government investigations lawyer in St. Louis involved in this case, has been cooperating with the investigations.

“Jontay is a good young man with strong faith that will get him through this. He was in over his head due to a gambling addiction. He is undergoing treatment and has been fully cooperative with law enforcement,” the attorney shared.

This was the first time anyone from Porter’s side has talked about the subject with the media, after the athlete disclosed confidential information to sports bettors and even wagered on matches, including a bet that his own team in Toronto would lose.