Like most years, the 2025 NBA playoffs are off to an incredible start.
There are marquee matchups, plenty of interest, and legit stakes. That being said, there is one difference, and it’s hard to ignore.
The big-time sportsbooks sponsor the mid-game live odds.
Turn on a random game and they’re almost impossible to miss. They appear multiple times per contest and get mentioned before, during, and after. They’re even used in analysis.
That shouldn’t be surprising. Sports betting companies continue to take over the world of sports. In 2024, the American sports betting industry generated nearly $14 billion in revenue. The American Gaming Association reportedly saw $150 billion worth of bets this past year.
Once the floodgates opened less than a decade ago for sports gambling, the NBA quickly capitalized. Finances remain a key part of it.
But as the industry continues to grow and the dollar amounts only get bigger, is there a point where it gets too far? For the NBA specifically, just how complex is this dynamic? The more important question is why it is so necessary for the league?
The current state of affairs
In 2018, the Supreme Court outlawed the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act, a 1990s law that prohibited sports gambling.
Years after the court’s decision, the league moved to invest in the industry.
To date, the NBA partners with 17 authorized gaming operators. Two of them — FanDuel and DraftKings — are considered “official” gambling partners. The rest of the list includes some familiar names, like BetMGM, ESPN Bet, and Fanatics Sportsbook.
From the perspective of someone looking to bet, the options are endless.
Here’s an example, using FanDuel for context. Take one NBA game. In this case, Game 1 of New York-Boston. In total, there are 17 different tabs to choose from. Each of them possesses a laundry list of ways to bet your money. Point benchmarks, number of threes, player combos, over/under on points scored in a quarter for a player, team props, margin of victory… and so on… and so on.
Under FanDuel’s “Same Game Parlay” tab, there are 50 categories. Each one lists the 10 players with the best odds in that category. We’re talking hundreds of combinations here.
And, there’s more. This is all in the context of betting before tip-off.
This is the arguably concerning part: keep in mind, this is one game. Now, consider there are 1,230 total games in an 82-game regular season. And that’s not including the playoffs. All these betting possibilities suddenly get exponentially higher.
The case for and against
The NBA’s investments in gambling hinge on two pillars of success: revenue and exposure.
Heading into the 2023-24 season, the NBA was projected to get over $160 million from casinos and betting. That number was over 10% higher than the year prior. It’s also a decent (and growing) chunk behind the league’s total sponsorship revenue, surpassing $1.5 billion in 2023-24.
There’s also the aspect of broad interest to consider.
A recent February poll from Statista found nearly a third of Americans placed a bet on sports in the previous year. Football made up half (51%) of those bets, but basketball made up almost 40%, according to the poll.
That data largely checks out with reality. Polling data suggests football remains king in the U.S., with basketball and baseball in whatever order round out the top three.
Betting itself also appears to drive interest. CRG Global, which focuses on researching consumer insight and data collection, found NBA fans who said they were more likely to watch a game if they got to place a bet.
That said, concerns are present. Remember those mid-game live odd sponsorship ads? That leaves an additional few hours for bets, and money can either be earned or lost.
The biggest red flag came from an anonymous player poll from The Athletic, which was released on April 22.
The question asked: Are the NBA’s gambling partnerships good or bad for the league, and why?
Nearly half (46%) of the 150 players in the poll said it was “bad.” Another 20% either picked “undecided” or “somewhere in the middle.”
From the perspective of players, a very understandable response. There’s pressure on them to succeed in reaching these “props” or certain statistical totals. Consequently, there are also the fierce and sometimes grotesque reactions (especially in a heightened social media environment) if someone does not reach those benchmarks. None of this factored in any of the ethical or moral concerns with the industry itself.
Where does the relationship go from here?
Two things can indeed be true at once.
First, the NBA’s investments in sports betting are a “necessary evil.” Every other major sports league does it. Not doing so would put you behind and then some. There is clear interest from a chunk of the fanbase, it makes money, and it certainly puts the league out there.
Yet, is there a point where things can go too far? It’s a question that another side of fans are probably asking themselves.
Especially, if you happen to catch that mid-game live odds ad for the umpteenth time in a game.
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