Former NBA player Jontay Porter is undergoing treatment for a gambling addiction following his permanent ban from the league in April, according to the Associated Press (h/t ESPN).
“Jontay is a good young man with strong faith that will get him through this,” said Jeff Jensen, a government investigations attorney in St. Louis. “He was in over his head due to a gambling addiction. He is undergoing treatment and has been fully cooperative with law enforcement.”
Porter received a lifetime ban from the NBA after a league probe revealed the 24-year-old limited his own playing time in games for betting purposes and disclosed confidential information to sports bettors.
This included a matchup between the Toronto Raptors and the Sacramento Kings on March 20, as Porter disclosed information regarding his health status to a bettor who placed a prop bet worth $80,000 that would have paid out just over $1 million if certain statistical thresholds weren’t met.
Porter claimed that he wasn’t feeling well and exited the game after roughly three minutes, although a betting company stopped the bettor from collecting the winnings because of the suspicious activity.
A man was arrested on Monday at JFK Airport in New York in connection to the sports betting scheme involving Porter, as the former NBA player allegedly amassed “large” gambling debts (via ESPN’s Aaron Katersky).
Porter is not charged in the case.