Louisiana is banning prop bets on individual college athletes, a shift in NCAA betting policy that mirrors a recent request from the governing body’s president, Charlie Baker.
The Louisiana Gaming Control Board issued a bulletin on the NCAA betting player prop ban Monday.
The state regulator said it began staff discussions on the issue prior to the NCAA’s call to action.
“It is the intention of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board to protect the integrity of sports betting as well as the safety and integrity of college athletes. We feel that this order accomplishes that goal,” LGCB chairman Ronnie Johns said in a statement.
What bulletin says on NCAA betting
As detailed in the bulletin, college player props will no longer be permitted.
“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 college sporting event. Only proposition bets based on full team statistical results are permitted.”
The order goes into effect August 1 at 8 a.m. local time.
“All reasonable efforts shall be made to comply. Sports Betting Operators may honor any outstanding bets. While the Division understands that identifying players included in this notification may present challenges, Sports Betting Operators shall use their best efforts to comply with the intent of this notification.”
Data on NCAA betting player props
Based on analysis from Citizens JMP Securities, college player props account for around 1.8% of all betting revenue.
Using that estimate, Louisiana sportsbooks possibly generated around $6.6 million of revenue from college props over the last calendar year.
Overall, banning college player props could cost sportsbooks roughly $200 million in annual revenue nationally, according to JMP.
Baker plans to reach out to states
On March 27, Baker said the governing body would be reaching out to jurisdictions offering player prop NCAA betting wagers this week, and ask for a ban.
The NCAA is concerned about harassment players are facing from bettors.
Ten states that offer legal sports betting currently have no restrictions on college player props. However, at least some of those jurisdictions are re-evaluating their policies.
States: No communication with NCAA
LSR contacted every state with some form of college props, and none signaled any type of communication with the NCAA.
“Michigan originally did not allow NCAA player prop bets when sports betting was legalized in the state in 2020, however the change to allow it was made in late summer/early fall 2021. With that being said, and with the recent interest in NCAA player prop bets being banned in other states, we will be taking a look at this issue,” a spokesperson for the Michigan Gaming Control board told LSR.
LSR analyst Eric Ramsey and reporter Sam McQuillan contributed to this article.
