NBA commissioner Adam Silver, a pioneering figure among professional league commissioners in advocating for the legalization of sports betting in the United States, articulated on "The Pat McAfee Show" the critical need for increased regulation within the rapidly expanding betting market. Since his initial call for a new approach to sports betting, including federal regulation, in a 2014 New York Times op-ed when state-sponsored betting was primarily limited to Nevada, the landscape has dramatically shifted. Eleven years later, 39 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico have launched legal betting markets, making Silver's concerns about integrity and fan behavior more pertinent than ever.

A significant area of concern for Silver revolves around the potential for game manipulation, particularly concerning prop bets. He specifically pointed to the recent scandal involving Jontay Porter, formerly of the Toronto Raptors, who was banned from the NBA after being found to have manipulated his performance in multiple games during the 2023-24 season as part of a gambling scheme. In response, the NBA took proactive measures in the summer of 2024, requesting its sportsbook partners to refrain from offering prop bets on players on two-way contracts, especially to underperform. Silver emphasized that for "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," such bets pose a substantial risk. The league continues to work with betting companies to establish additional controls to prevent future manipulation.

Beyond the integrity of the game itself, Silver also addressed the issue of fan misconduct in arenas, which can often be influenced by betting outcomes. He explained that even if a team wins and a player performs well, a fan who had bet on that player to exceed a specific point total, say 28 or 30 points, might react negatively. This type of disappointment can contribute to unruly behavior. Silver stressed the importance of safeguarding both the competitors and the general environment within the arena, aiming to prevent situations where "people getting out of hand." In line with this, the NBA recently circulated a memo to its teams, reiterating the necessity for "consistent and vigilant enforcement of the NBA Fan Code of Conduct to deter and address fan misconduct at NBA games and events."

Silver further expressed his belief that more comprehensive regulation is required, ideally through federal legislation rather than the current fragmented state-by-state approach. He argued that a unified federal framework would allow for better monitoring of the pervasive promotion and advertising surrounding sports betting. Despite these regulatory challenges, he acknowledged a significant advantage of the current regulated market: enhanced visibility and monitoring capabilities. "With this regulated structure of legalized betting, we can monitor it in ways that were unimaginable years ago," Silver stated. This includes the ability to identify "aberrational behavior," such as individuals placing unusually large bets, new accounts opened specifically for certain wagers, and even precise geotargeting, which allows the league to know the exact location within an arena from which a bet is placed. This level of insight is crucial for detecting and preventing potential irregularities and upholding the integrity of the sport.