NBA Tells Sportsbooks to Stop Offering Certain Wagers, Affecting Amarillo Bettors

Amarillo, TX, October 16, 2026 —

The NBA has instructed sportsbooks to stop offering certain wagers, including bets on which player records the first statistic of a game and bets on the outcome of the opening tip. The instruction is affecting bettors in Amarillo, according to the information provided.

The available details do not identify which sportsbooks received the instruction, when it was issued, or when the affected wagers must be removed. The reason for the directive was also not provided. It is therefore unclear whether the change applies to all sportsbooks or only particular operators, and whether the instruction covers additional wager types beyond the two examples cited.

For Amarillo bettors, the reported impact is limited to the specified categories of wagers. The information does not say whether other bets remain available, whether any wagers already placed are affected, or how sportsbooks are handling existing bets. It also does not describe any response from the NBA, sportsbook operators or bettors.

The instruction concerns wagers tied to early events in a game: a player’s first recorded statistic and the result of the opening tip. No further details were provided about how those categories are defined by sportsbooks or whether the directive changes other betting policies. Without information about timing, participating operators or implementation, the extent of the change for bettors in Amarillo cannot be determined from the details available.

The reported development establishes that the NBA has asked sportsbooks to cease offering the named wager types and that bettors in Amarillo are affected. Additional information about the directive’s scope, rationale and practical effect was not provided.

Story summarized from the original created by TIM REYNOLDS, Associated Press on www.myhighplains.com, see more information here.

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