Law enforcement officials in Canada have opened an investigation into the Jontay Porter sports betting scandal, an alleged player prop scheme that’s thus far resulted in the indictment of four co-conspirators in New York.
A spokesman for the Ontario Provincial Police told ESPN Tuesday that a criminal investigation into the former Toronto Raptor is warranted due to “online betting irregularities from the Jan. 26 and March 20 Raptors games.”
In those games, Porter allegedly informed the four co-conspirators that he would feign injuries in order to leave each contest early, thus allowing them to profit handsomely from betting the under on his individual statistical totals.
After identifying the suspicious wagering activity on March 20, the betting companies with whom these bets were placed — one of which was reportedly DraftKings — reported it to the International Betting Integrity Association and the NBA. In turn, it was also reported to the FBI.
In addition to the alleged scheme, the NBA found that Porter bet on Toronto games while on a two-way contract with the team and banned him from the league for life on April 17. He has yet to be charged with a crime in the United States or elsewhere.
'In Over His Head'
Earlier this month, Porter’s attorney, Jeff Jensen, said that his client was cooperating with investigators and was “in over his head due to a gambling addiction.”
Jensen added that Porter, the younger brother of Denver Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr., was undergoing treatment for gambling addiction, and a complaint filed in conjunction with the arrest of the first co-conspirator supports the notion that Porter was in serious debt due to a string of unsuccessful bets.
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Shortly after word of the scheme first surfaced in March, some questioned the wisdom of sportsbooks offering individual props on fringe rotation players like Porter, who only saw serious floor time when the Raptors' active roster was depleted by injuries.
Since then, it's been reported that the NBA and its sportsbook partners are considering banning props on players signed to two-way contracts.