After several recent sports betting controversies, NCAA President Charlie Baker is urging states to ban prop bets on college athletes.

These types of bets allow gamblers to wager on the statistics of an individual player. The NCAA argues that these types of bets put undue pressure on athletes and could also lead to game fairness issues.

“Sports betting issues are on the rise across the country with prop bets continuing to threaten the integrity of competitions and leading to student-athletes and professional athletes getting harassed,” Baker said last week in a statement. “The NCAA has been working with states to deal with these threats and many are responding by banning college prop bets.

Inside The Issue

The efforts come after betting has spread rapidly to numerous states since the Supreme Court overturned a federal law that put a virtual ban on wagering on sports outside the state of Nevada. A total of 39 states as well as Washington D.C. and the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico now offer some form of sports betting. Others are also considering legalization.

Over the last year, several leagues have seen betting controversies. The NBA recently began an investigation into two games involving the Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter because of prop bet irregularities. More than a dozen Iowa college athletes were also allegedly involved in illegal gambling in 2023.

Baker believes banning prop bets might alleviate some stress felt by athletes and also help avoid putting them in potential compromising positions. Some states already bar these kinds of bets.

“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,” he said. “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.”

NCAA player prop bets would still be available on unregulated sites, but recent reports point to more Americans moving their wagers to legal U.S. betting platforms.