Just months after the online launch of NC sports betting, legislators in the Tar Heel State could change up the law.
As NCAA President Charlie Baker pushes for states to ban college prop betting, Rep. Marcia Morey plans to introduce an NC sports betting bill prohibiting the wagers this session, which started Wednesday and runs until July 31, WRAL-TV reported.
Online North Carolina sports betting began March 11.
NC legislators split on college issue
During initial sports betting legalization debates, Morey voted against it and suggested various amendments like college prop prohibitions. Morey, a former Olympic swimmer, also proposed limiting sports betting to in-person options at sports venues, and banning promo deductions.
As the debate to ban prop betting has heated up, NC sports betting proponents are against the change. That includes one of the main sponsors of sports betting in NC, Rep. Jason Saine.
“If we ended it tomorrow, this kind of behavior would still continue with fanatical people,” Saine told CBS 17. “Follow rules of society, you don’t threaten anybody, or you shouldn’t be. And, that’s kind of my take on it. I don’t think we need a whole new set of rules to pursue something like that.”
Tar Heel comments fuel NC sports betting discussion
Baker’s push for state college prop bans comes following multiple athletes and coaches discussing threats coming from fans.
One such athlete was UNC basketball player Armando Bacot, who said fans are often angry at him, even following wins.
“It’s terrible,” Bacot told reporters after an NCAA Tournament win against Michigan State. “I looked at my DMs and I got like over a hundred messages from people telling me I suck and stuff like that because I didn’t get enough rebounds, so I mean I think it’s definitely a little out of hand.”
Growing list of college bans
North Carolina is one of eight states that do not restrict college player props.
This month, Louisiana regulators took action against prop bets. Meanwhile, Ohio and Maryland banned the wagers earlier this year.
Some states including Connecticut and New Jersey ban the bets on in-state teams. New Jersey is considering an outright ban, while Connecticut could open up its college betting options.
Would NC sports betting prop ban work?
According to Citizens JMP Securities analysis, college player props account for approximately 1.8% of sports betting revenue.
JMP estimates sportsbooks could lose up to $200 million annually. That would come while potentially not solving the issue it seeks to solve.
“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,” legal analyst John Holden previously told LSR. “The solution is to improve the education around league rules, gambling laws and policies, and increase funding for problem gambling resources.”
LSR assistant managing editor Matthew Waters contributed to this story.
