Adam Silver Calls for More Gambling Regulation as NBA Season Tips Off

^{Adam Silver says federal oversight could help address to sports betting issues in the NBA, including the recent growth in prop betting. (Photo: Lev Radin / Alamy)}

As the 2025-26 NBA season tips off, commissioner Adam Silver is weighing in on balancing basketball and betting to protect the league's integrity.

Silver said Tuesday on The Pat McAfee Show that he supports increased regulation of sports betting to curb problematic fan behavior, especially around prop bets that can be easily manipulated.

Silver Pushes for Federal Oversight

Silver made headlines in the New York Times in 2014 for being the first U.S sports commissioner to push for the expansion of legalized sports betting. Though he still supports fans’ ability to wager responsibly, his comments Tuesday added to the list of voices calling for more uniform regulation in the sports betting industry. 

“I think, probably, there should be more regulation,” Silver said on McAfee’s show. “I wish there was federal legislation rather than state by state. I think you’ve got to monitor the amount of promotion, the amount of advertising around it.”

Some lawmakers share that concern, also pushing for federal oversight of sports betting. In March 2025, Rep. Paul Tonko (D-New York) and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) reintroduced the SAFE Bet Act, which would require states to get federal approval for their sports betting programs with the U.S. Justice Department for three years at a time.

NBA Crackdown on Player Prop Bets

In particular, Silver shared his concern over player-specific prop bets. Last year, the NBA asked sportsbooks to stop offering prop bets on players on two-way players who play with both the NBA and their G League affiliates. These players only appear in a handful of games and make a relatively low salary compared to other players in the league, which can make their behavior easier to influence.

“We’ve asked some of our partners to pull back some of the prop bets, especially when they’re on two-way players, guys who don’t have the same stake in the competition, where it’s too easy to manipulate something which seems otherwise small and inconsequential to the overall score,” Silver said.

He also noted that players have faced harassment from bettors at games —even when those players play well or win game — if they don’t hit their prop bet totals.

“We have to protect the competitors,” Silver said. “We want to protect the environment in the arena of people getting out of hand.”

Regulated Markets Help NBA Monitor Suspicious Betting

The focus on betting comes after several high-profile gambling scandals involving NBA players. Most notably, the league issued a lifetime ban to former Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter after he disclosed injury information to bettors, who in turn wagered on him to come in under his prop totals. Other players, including Terry Rozier and Malik Beasley, have been the subjects of gambling-related investigations, though neither player has been accused of wrongdoing.

While Silver may be in favor of more regulation, he noted that legalized sports betting has been the biggest driver in monitoring suspicious wagering activity.

“With this regulated structure of legalized betting, we can monitor it in ways that were unimaginable years ago,” Silver told McAfee. “If there’s any aberrational behavior – people betting large numbers who hadn’t historically done so, just opening an account to place bets, or even the geotargeting – we know exactly from where the bets are being placed, very specifically. If you’re in an arena and place a bet, we know you’re in the arena in many cases.”

The 2025-26 NBA officially began on Tuesday night, with the Oklahoma City Thunder entering as favorites to repeat as league champions with +245 odds on DraftKings Sportsbook.