While some states have banned college prop bets, Wyoming sports betting regulators are taking measures to punish harassing bettors.
The Wyoming Gaming Commission last week amended its WY sports betting regulations to define the harassment of athletes. With the change, the commission also approved the banning of bettors who harass athletes.
Legal sports betting launched in Wyoming in 2021.
Defining Wyoming sports betting harassment
The Wyoming Gaming Commission defined harassment to include “verbal threats, written threats, electronic threats, lewd or obscene statements or images,” and more.
The NCAA, University of Wyoming and sports betting operators reviewed the proposal.
Bettors who are found guilty of violating the harassment rules can be added to the involuntary exclusion list.
Wyoming sports betting bucks trend
NCAA President Charlie Baker has asked states to ban college prop bets to help curb athlete harassment.
Various college stakeholders, including Dayton men’s basketball coach Anthony Grant and former North Carolina basketball star Armando Bacot, have spoken out about harassment.
Along with Wyoming, Ohio and West Virginia have also implemented punishment for those who harass athletes. North Carolina lawmakers introduced a bill last year to set up similar rules, but it did not progress.
Growing list of prop bans
There are 13 states that have banned college props. Following Baker’s request, Louisiana, Ohio and Maryland prohibited the wagers.
A New Jersey General Assembly committee sent forward a bill banning college props earlier this month.
Here are the 13 states that have banned college props:
- Arizona
- Colorado
- Louisiana
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- New York
- Ohio
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Tennessee
- Vermont
- Virginia
- West Virginia
Value of prop ban
Citizens JMP Securities estimates sportsbooks could lose up to $200 million from the mass adoption of college player prop bans.
The $200 million would represent approximately 2% of overall US sports betting revenue in 2023.
“At the end of the day, bettors will find a way to wager on events and players, and we believe the effort to ban individual player betting will likely only push players back offshore,” JMP’s Jordan Bender said earlier this year.
