Written by Will Johnson June 29, 2025
As legal sports betting explodes across the U.S., its shadow stretches deeper into every corner of professional sports, especially the NBA. From prop bets on player stats to courtside partnerships with major sportsbooks, one question is becoming harder to ignore:
Is sports betting starting to run basketball?
With recent news that Malik Beasley, shooting guard for the Detroit Pistons, is under federal investigation for betting on his own sport, it raises questions about the level of idiocy that can drive people to bet. I, for one, am not a huge fan. I have friends who can’t help but check PRIZEPICKS daily. I don’t get the obsession, but to each is their own.
The NBA, once upon a time, couldn’t even fathom associating itself with betting, especially after the scandal with former official Tim Donaghy. He let it be known that he was fixing games. Now the NBA has sponsorships with betting companies, and it’s not hard to see why: betting is a multi-billion-dollar business. Betting allows for more viewership, more interest from the fan, but here’s the issue: does entertainment and money-making overtake the
integrity of the game? When player performance affects payouts, not just playoffs, motivations can become murky, and fans start to question what’s real. Traditional fans only care about winning, rivalries, and a good game, but the bettors only worry about did their parlay hit? Was the spread covered?Players are not immune from the bettors. They hear all over social media; there’s no escaping it. You have some casual fan jumping into a player’s DM on X or Instagram, telling them they cost them money by not making a free throw or missing a rebound. Some players have spoken out about the toxic backlash and death threats tied to missed props. The betting culture can feel like a no-win situation, especially for younger stars.
So, to answer the question, is sports betting running basketball? The answer is NOT YET. Right now, it’s shaping the game, not running it. It affects how games are broadcast, it’s affecting the players’ play, and it’s introducing new ways of manipulating the game. The NBA is walking a fine line—trying to cash in on betting without letting it compromise the game. But if more scandals hit, or if player focus shifts from championships to cash lines, the league may have to rethink its balance. Sports betting isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, but something must be done, or we will see more stories like a Malik Beasley being investigated coming out.
