NBA 2K League Suspends Five Players, Coach For Betting Infractions

The NBA 2K League has banned five players and a coach from participating in the esports league due to their breaches of rules regarding betting and fantasy sports. This esports league, based on the popular and well-known basketball video game, has put these regulations in place to ensure fair gameplay.

Various editions of the NBA 2K game have been issued, and the NBA 2K League has recently taken action over betting violations. Five players – Christopher Lafanette, Dorian Earl Miller, Robert Nastasi of Blazer5 Gaming, Kimmani Ingram of Jazz Gaming, and Zekkiri Davis of Mavs Gaming – plus one coach (Andrew Maxie of Blazer5 Gaming) have been disqualified after it was discovered they had bet on, or attempted to wager on, NBA 2K League competitions. President Brenda Donohue of the 2K League issued a statement on this matter: “We take our obligation to the competition and to our fans incredibly seriously, and we will always act forcefully regarding violations of the rules governing game integrity and the related reporting and cooperation requirements.” Further, it was determined that Gil and Maxie had also failed to report the bets, causing the coach to receive an indefinite disqualification from the association.

It’s the fifth season of the NBA 2K League, created as part of a partnership between the NBA and Take-Two Interactive, the video game giant which publishes the game. There are 25 teams in the league, 22 of which are affiliated with NBA franchises. Last year, however, the league was rocked by a betting scandal that revealed it wasn’t the league’s first.

Not 2K’s First Betting Scandal

This isn’t the first time the esports league has encountered controversy surrounding wagering. In 2020, sportsbooks ceased taking bets on the Players Tournament – a tournament featuring NBA players – when they learned that the action was prerecorded rather than aired live, as they were originally led to believe. Furthermore, in 2019, Heat Check Gaming (HCG) – a 2K team connected to the Miami Heat – let go of a player for giving insider information to someone who was known to be betting on games. Even though HCG stated that player, Basil Rose, was not intending to manipulate the matches, he still violated the league’s anti-betting policies. The US sports betting industry is looking at wagering on electronic sports as a means of expanding, although it has yet to be fully utilized. Esports has a solid following in the US, and analysts suggest that with time, it may outrank all traditional sports – excluding the NFL – in terms of TV viewership. NBA 2K is an example of this potential.

The NBA 2K League must take a hardline stance with its more than two million followers across various social media channels, as it has already generated over 691 million video views on these platforms, according to its website. With esports betting now fully legal in Nevada, New Jersey, Tennessee, and West Virginia, there is an opportunity for the League to become a big player in sportbook handle. However, this opportunity will only become a reality if the League takes a firm stance on its online presence.

NBA 2K Must Take Hardline

The NBA 2K League is on advantageous ground to brush off worries concerning wrongful gambling, similar to other leagues, due to its wide range of corporate supporters. These sponsors involve AT&T, Coinbase, Google, Oreo, and Snickers among others.