Dallas Mavericks' former executive lambasts NBA betting promotion on app during games: "Shoving gambling down fans' throats"

NBA betting has been a hot topic in the basketball community, even more so when the league got FanDuel or DraftKings as the official betting partner. With the issues surrounding game-fixing due to high-stakes betting, the league's move to get a betting sponsor didn't sink well to some.

More vocal on his point of view about NBA betting is former Dallas Mavericks research and development director Haralabos Voulgaris. Before taking office in Mark Cuban's basketball team, he is known as a professional gambler and for his accurate NBA picks.

Voulgaris blatantly feels that the NBA has been forcing fans to get into gambling through their deal with FanDuel and he expressed it through his social media account.

"Its really odd because in the last 10 years or so the NBA has made such an effort to be socially responsible or at least presented themselves in that manner and yet they are shoving gambling down their fans throats because they are beholden to $," said Voulgaris. "Make it make sense."

Voulgaris is known to have cashed in more than $3 million through live tournaments and his betting career. He is the owner of the Spanish soccer team CD Castellon.

FanDuel is set to integrate NBA betting through league pass

The NBA and FanDuel have partnered since 2014, during the first year of Adam Silver's tenure as league commissioner. Both parties have been promoting NBA betting to their fans for the past 10 years and have strengthened their partnership.

To bring more innovative NBA betting to basketball fans, FanDuel and DraftKings are looking towards putting live betting in NBA League Pass. This will give fans a chance to place their bets through point spreads, over-under and moneyline while watching the game through emBET, according to a press release dated Mar. 19.

“Integrating emBET is consistent with the NBA’s vision to create hyper-personalized and customized viewing experiences within NBA games,” said NBA EVP of Media and Gaming Scott Kaufman-Ross. “For NBA fans who want to wager on our games during live action, they can now elect to receive contextualized betting information directly on NBA League Pass.”

Since 2016, Sportradar has been an official partner of the NBA and has served as an exclusive data provider by the league. Cementing their collaborative efforts, both parties opt to elevate the fan experience through advancing sports betting innovation.