NCAA president Charlie Baker announced his office will be contacting all jurisdictions in which wagering on college player props is permissible and asking for a ban on those particular betting options.
Let’s go through the main reasons behind this ban and how it may impact the online sportsbooks industry.
College Players Off Limits
Most states that have launched mobile and retail sports betting have outlawed college player props but several states including Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, North Carolina, West Virginia and Wyoming place no restrictions on those wagers.
Those are the states that NCAA president and former Massachusetts governor, Charlie Baker, will be targeting in his plea to lawmakers to remove college player props from the state’s sportsbooks’ betting menus.
“Sports betting issues are on the rise across the country with prop bets continuing to threaten the integrity of competition and leading to student-athletes and professional athletes getting harassed. The NCAA has been working with states to deal with these threats and many are responding by banning college props bets,” Baker said in a statement.
“This week we will be contacting officials across the country in states that still allow these bets and ask them to join Ohio, Vermont, Maryland, and many others and remove college prop bets from all betting markets. The NCAA is drawing the line on sports betting to protect student-athletes and to protect the integrity of the game — issues across the country these last several days show there is more work to be done.”
Other states like Indiana allow college player props but do not permit in-play props while Illinois, Maine, Nebraska, New Jersey and the District of Columbia allow college player props but exclude players from in-state or jurisdictional teams from those markets.
Growing Concern
Charlie Baker has already reached out to several states about eliminating college player props, most recently in Ohio where he wrote to the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) and stated, “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,” Baker added.
On February 23rd, Baker’s request was granted with the OCCC giving sportsbooks until March 1st to remove all college player props from their platforms.
Baker thanked the gaming commission for their actions, stating, “Today’s decision by the Ohio Casino Control Commission to prohibit player-specific prop bets on collegiate competitions marks a significant step in the protection of student-athlete well-being and game integrity. I thank The Commission for recognizing the serious threats posed by prop bets and implementing controls to help safeguard student-athlete mental health from the risks of sports betting harassment and abuse.”
Massachusetts, a state that launched mobile sports betting in March of last year, was proactive in outlawing college player props before its sportsbooks even began accepting wagers. Massachusetts Gaming Commission Chair Cathy Judd-Stein, said, “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. Massachusetts got this right. I know I’m personally interested in resolving this matter as quickly as possible for the protection of student-athletes.”
