NBA orders sportsbooks to remove certain markets for 2026-27
League bans multi-stat parlays, opening-tip bets and low-minute unders via commercial agreements
Key Takeaways
- The NBA ordered its authorised partners to remove specific bet types for the 2026-27 season.
- Prohibited markets include multi-stat parlays, opening-tip winner bets and bets that a player will miss particular shots.
- Unders are banned for players expected to play fewer than 12 minutes.
- The league will enforce the restrictions through its commercial agreements and says its partners cover over 99% of the US market.
The NBA has ordered its authorised betting partners to stop offering several market types for the 2026-27 season. The instruction, communicated in a memo distributed to operators on Friday, bans parlays built on multiple statistics by the same player, bets on the opening-tip winner, bets that a player will miss specific shots and unders on players expected to play less than 12 minutes. The league will enforce the limits through its commercial agreements with operators.
Scope and enforcement
The league says it can impose restrictions on markets offered by its authorised operators via its commercial agreements. The NBA estimates its authorised partners represent more than the 99% of the US sports-betting market. Socios autorizados received the memo on Friday, which sets the markets that must be removed for the 2026-27 season. The memo was sent to [authorised partners](/b2b).
Markets affected
The markets the NBA has singled out are:
Parlays constructed around multiple statistics for the same player
Bets on the winner of the opening tip (opening tip winner)
Bets that a player will miss specific shots
Unders on players expected to play fewer than 12 minutes
Integrity and illegal-market risk
Scott Kaufman-Ross, the NBA executive vice president, told ESPN the league is trying to balance integrity protection with the risk of pushing bettors toward illegal operators.
“There is a balance between ensuring we remove problematic bet types while also making sure we do not push activity into the illegal market,” Kaufman-Ross told ESPN.
The NBA said it considered the broader betting landscape, including prediction markets, when setting the restrictions. It has not announced formal partnerships with prediction-market operators, and Kaufman-Ross acknowledged enforcing the rules on those platforms would be harder without prior agreements.
Frequently Asked Questions
What markets has the NBA banned for the 2026-27 season?
The NBA has banned parlays built from multiple statistics of the same player, bets on the opening-tip winner, bets that a player will miss specific shots, and unders on players expected to play fewer than 12 minutes, according to the memo distributed on Friday.
How will the NBA enforce these restrictions with sportsbooks?
The NBA will impose the limits through its commercial agreements with authorised operators; the league says it can restrict markets offered by partners via those contracts and has communicated the required removals in a memo.
Why is the NBA implementing these restrictions?
The league says it aims to limit markets that could be exploited while preserving activity at licensed operators; NBA executive vice president Scott Kaufman-Ross told ESPN the goal is to remove problematic bet types without driving bettors to the illegal market.
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About the author
Renata Quiroga
Betting Markets Correspondent
Renata Quiroga covers sports betting and prediction markets — sportsbook launches, odds technology, event contracts, and the regulatory calls that decide what can be bet on and where. The reports open with the product or the ruling, name operators and platforms precisely, and explain the mechanics without needless jargon. When a book enters a Latin American market or a prediction exchange lists a contested contract, Renata Quiroga reports what changes for the bettor.
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