NCAA President, Charlie Baker, has written to the Ohio Casino Control Commission asking the regulatory body to force all sportsbooks operating in the Buckeye State to pull all college player props offerings off their betting menus.
Let’s delve into the key aspects behind Baker’s letter and analyze its potential impact on the online sportsbooks industry.
Baker Speaks Out
NCAA President, Charlie Baker, is the former governor of Massachusetts who helped shepherd sports betting in the Bay State. However, player props on college athletes are strictly verboten in the Massachusetts sports betting bill that he signed into law back in 2022.
And it was only recently that BetMGM came under fire from the Massachusetts Gaming Commission for accepting 15,000 wagers amounting to $200,000 of college player prop wagers during this past college football season.
“Prop bets on students is a statutory violation here in Massachusetts. It’s a conversation that’s starting to happen across the nation as to whether it’s appropriate,” said MGC Chair Cathy Judd-Stein. “Massachusetts got this right. I know I’m personally interested in resolving this matter as quickly as possible for the protection of student-athletes.”
With that backdrop, it is no surprise that Baker has submitted a letter to the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) to consider banning college player props.
In the letter, Baker wrote: “The data is clear that student-athletes are getting harassed by bettors. Sports betting without appropriate controls poses real risks to the well-being of student-athletes and to the integrity of collegiate competition – risks heightened by individual prop bets.
“On behalf of the thousands of student-athletes, administrators, and game officials in Ohio, I thank Gov. DeWine for acting quickly to protect student-athletes and game integrity while responsibly regulating the growing sports betting industry in Ohio.”
A watchdog group found examples of college sports coaches and players betting on their own teams.
But what can be done to stop it? @JimAxelrod spoke with the president of the NCAA, Charlie Baker. pic.twitter.com/6xgq3smY40
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) November 8, 2023
In response, the OCCC has sent a copy of Baker’s letter to all the sportsbooks operating in Ohio with the two main points being articulated as follows:
Any wager based on the following is NOT approved and is NOT permitted:
- Any proposition or “prop” bet on an individual athlete’s performance or statistics participating in a sporting event governed by the NCAA. Only proposition bets based on full team statistical results are permitted.
- Any full team proposition bet on a sporting event governed by the NCAA that, while not based solely on an individual, would on average depend 50% or more on the statistical performance of one or two athletes on the team to determine the outcome. For example, whether Team A will gain over 200 passing yards in a football game would predominantly rely on the quarterback’s yardage, likely over 50% dependence.
Gov Supports Change
The NCAA has the support of Ohio Governor, Mike DeWine, who pointed out the harassment student-athletes can face when their performances do not meet expectations.
“One year into sports gambling in Ohio, we have seen a marketplace develop where a number of bad actors have engaged in unacceptable behavior by making threats against student-athletes in Ohio and across the country,” DeWine said in a statement. “By amending rules to focus bets on the team and away from individual athletes, I believe we can improve the marketplace in Ohio and better protect student-athletes from unnecessary and potentially harmful threats.”
A meeting to discuss the proposed changes will occur on February 21st, and if accepted, the OCCC will make those modifications to Ohio’s current sports betting regulations.
However, this may not be the last letter NCAA President Charlie Baker writes, as there are still several other states that accept college player props.
If his plea is successful in Ohio, it would not be surprising if other college player-prop states hear from the former governor sooner than later.
