NBA Fines Teams for Overt Tanking Amid Gambling Concerns

League addresses growing problem of teams intentionally losing to improve draft position.

Published on Feb. 25, 2026

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The NBA has issued fines to the Utah Jazz and Indiana Pacers for what the league called "overt" tanking, where teams intentionally lose games to improve their draft position. While the league has historically let some tanking slide, commissioner Adam Silver acknowledged the problem has worsened this season, with the league now having to balance the interests of fans, teams, TV partners, and its growing relationships with sports betting operators.

Why it matters

Tanking has long been a controversial issue in the NBA, as fans want to see their teams be competitive but teams often feel they need to lose games to improve their draft position. The league's crackdown on the "overt" nature of the Jazz and Pacers' tanking suggests the NBA is now having to weigh the impact on its sports betting partnerships, with reports indicating the league is concerned about the effect of unpredictable results on the integrity of its gambling markets.

The details

The NBA fined the Jazz and Pacers for what it called "overt" tanking, where the teams were clearly resting players and making little effort to win games. While the league has historically allowed some tanking to slide, commissioner Adam Silver acknowledged the problem has worsened this season, with teams feeling pressure to lose in order to improve their draft position. However, Silver also noted the league's growing relationships with sports betting operators, with reports indicating the "overt" nature of the Jazz and Pacers' tanking was particularly concerning due to the impact on the integrity of gambling markets.

  • The NBA issued the fines to the Jazz and Pacers during the recent All-Star break.
  • The league's crackdown on tanking comes as the 2026 NBA season enters the stretch run before the playoffs.

The players

Adam Silver

The commissioner of the NBA, who acknowledged the league's growing concerns about tanking and its impact on sports betting partnerships.

Utah Jazz

An NBA team that was fined by the league for "overt" tanking.

Indiana Pacers

An NBA team that was fined by the league for "overt" tanking.

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What they’re saying

“If coaches are just willy-nilly not playing guys the entire game and they're not letting people know in advance that they plan to do that, you're going to have a lot of angry gamblers and a lot of angry gambling companies as well.”

— Ben Golliver, NBA Writer (Greatest Of All Talk Podcast)

“I think a lot of the partnerships they've made, they're having trouble being able to say, yeah we have these injury reports and you can 100 percent trust them.”

— Tom Haberstroh, Podcast Host (The Big Number Podcast)

What’s next

The NBA is considering radical changes to address the tanking issue, including potentially eliminating the draft system. The league will need to balance the interests of fans, teams, TV partners, and its sports betting operators to find a solution that works for all stakeholders.

The takeaway

The NBA's crackdown on overt tanking highlights the league's growing concerns about the impact of intentional losing on the integrity of its sports betting partnerships. As the league continues to grapple with this issue, finding a solution that addresses the needs of all stakeholders, including fans, teams, and gambling operators, will be crucial for the NBA's long-term success.