Sports betting controversies involving lifetime bans are currently dominating the headlines. The good news is that this hasn’t happened in pro football.
Yet.
Via ESPN.com, Long Phi “Bruce” Pham faces charges after placing bets on former NBA player Jontay Porter’s performance on January 26, knowing that he planned to withdraw from the game.
Pham was arrested Monday at JFK airport in New York as he attempted to board a flight to Australia on a one-way ticket. He’s charged with conspiring to defraud a sports betting company.
Three unnamed co-conspirators were mentioned in the charges. The group allegedly generated more than $1 million in profits through the bets on Porter.
The criminal complaint claims that Porter (called “Player 1" in the document) amassed “large gambling debts” and was encouraged to resolve the debts by leaving games early, allowing wagers to be placed accordingly on his various prop bets.
Pham and his co-conspirators allegedly gathered at a casino in Atlantic City and placed bets on Porter before a game in March during which he removed himself from play after only three minutes.
Porter was banned for life by the NBA on April 17.
The Porter situation easily could happen in other sports. Player gambles. Player racks up significant debt. Player satisfies the debt by giving inside information or otherwise rigging bets. While it’s hard for any one player to determine the outcome of a game, it’s very easy for a player to guarantee that his prop bets will hit the under.
It’s yet to happen in the NFL. As far as we know. It seems inevitable — and it’s surprising it hasn’t happened yet.
