The NCAA president is calling for a countrywide ban on player prop wagers in NCAA betting markets.
NCAA president Charlie Baker said Wednesday the governing body will be reaching out to jurisdictions offering player prop NCAA betting wagers this week, and ask for a ban.
Eleven states that offer legal sports betting currently have no restrictions on college player props.
Why NCAA wants player prop betting ban
Baker said the main reason for the ban is to protect student-athletes from harassment.
“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.”
States offering NCAA player prop bets
The nine legal sports betting states that do not restrict college player props are:
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Michigan
- Montana
- Nevada
- North Carolina
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
Indiana bans in-play college props specifically. Illinois, Maine, Nebraska, New Jersey and the District of Columbia exclude local players from their available prop markets, and Vermont does the same for regular-season games.
Ohio bans NCAA betting player props
Ohio initially allowed college player props before banning them in late February. The NCAA sent a letter to the Ohio Casino Control Commission proposing a ban in late January.
College player props accounted for only 1.35% of Ohio sports betting wagers made in 2023.
Maryland also elected to institute a college player prop ban.
Temple under betting probe
The NCAA has faced multiple sports betting probes this season.
Recently, the Temple University men’s basketball team came under investigation for possible point shaving. That probe is in its early stages.
Temple, the American Athletic Conference and the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board all told LSR they had no updates to share.
Expert opinion on why ban might not work
Legal analyst John Holden said a prop ban might not have the effect Baker wants.
“While it might seem like banning player props eliminates the problem, the reality is someone, somewhere, will take player prop bets. So we would not eliminate the market. We would just push those bets back into darkness, where we cannot impose the same checks and balances,” Holden told LSR. “The solution is to improve the education around league rules, gambling laws and policies, and increase funding for problem gambling resources.”
LSR analyst Eric Ramsey contributed to this article.
