NBA Tells Sportsbooks to Stop Offering Certain Opening-Play Bets
The NBA has instructed sportsbooks to cease offering specific types of bets, such as which player will record the first stat of a game or the outcome of the opening tip, impacting bettors in Myrtle Beach-Florence.
Myrtle Beach Florence, SC, October 16, 2026 —
The NBA has instructed sportsbooks to stop offering certain bets tied to the opening moments of games, including wagers on which player will record the first statistic and on the outcome of the opening tip. The change affects bettors in the Myrtle Beach-Florence area.
The information available does not identify the sportsbooks that received the instruction or say when the affected bets will be removed. It also does not specify whether the instruction applies only to particular markets or how sportsbooks are expected to handle wagers already placed.
The named bet types concern discrete events at the start of a game: the first recorded statistic and which team wins the opening tip. The instruction, as described, is limited to those specific types of wagers. No additional bet categories were identified.
The reason for the NBA’s instruction was not provided. The information also does not include a statement from the league, any sportsbook, or bettors, and does not describe enforcement measures or possible penalties for sportsbooks that continue to offer the bets.
For bettors in Myrtle Beach-Florence, the reported impact is that these wagers are among the types sportsbooks have been told to cease offering. The available details do not clarify whether availability has already changed at any local or online sportsbook. Further information about timing, affected operators and the handling of existing wagers was not provided.
Story summarized from the original created by TIM REYNOLDS, Associated Press on www.wbtw.com, see more information here.
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