Maryland Latest To Ban College Player-Specific Prop Bets
More and More States Are Banning Such Bets
Maryland has become the latest state to prohibit bettors from wagering on college athlete player prop bets, regardless of whether those athletes play for a school located in Maryland or not.
Maryland Lottery and Gaming — which regulates sports betting in the state — informed sportsbook operators that they were no longer able to advertise and accept these bets as of last Friday, March 1st. Any prop bets made before that day were honored and were not subject to Maryland’s ban on college player prop bets.
Ohio’s Casino Control Commission (OCCC) announced its own sports betting ban on player-specific prop bets the week prior so this is certainly becoming a trend. It is also an issue that the NCAA itself has been vocal about because of concerns about bettors harassing college players online regarding prop bets that have been placed on said athletes, like for them to score a certain amount of points in basketball or to gain a certain amount of yards in football.
In Ohio, the OCCC approved the NCAA’s “request to prohibit player-specific prop bets on intercollegiate athletics competitions” citing previous instances of Ohio college athletes being harassed by bettors as well as general concerns about prop bets increasing the chances of so-called spot fixing (when only a portion of a game is fixed) occuring, insider information being exchanged about the likelihood of a prop bet succeeding or failing, and players betting on themselves — in contravention of NCAA rules. It seems as if Maryland has largely followed Ohio’s lead and it is likely that other states will follow.
Ban Makes a Lot of Sense
Maryland’s ban on college player prop bets won’t be welcome news to big-time college sports bettors in the state who undoubtedly benefited from mistake lines on the hundreds of college sports games every week that are usually up for action at sportsbooks.
Based on the sheer number of games — particularly men’s and women’s basketball — that are played, sharps can (legally) find advantages and edges where the value far outpaces the line that is set.
But, the NCAA and OCCC’s points about these specific types of bets being extremely vulnerable to shady dealings are very valid ones. Even with players able to profit off their name, image and likeness (NIL) now, there is still a big incentive for lesser-known players to take money from questionable characters to either provide them with critical inside information on how to shape their expert picks or to outright alter the course of a game themselves. It’s much easier to do that so a point or assist total prop bet hits than to ensure one team wins as opposed to the other.
Granted, these bans only happening in a couple of states won’t necessarily prevent these situations from popping up around the country because Venmo, Zelle and/or wire transfers coupled with a phone call or text can still facilitate spot fixing. But, if enough states join in on the bans, then sportsbook operators will be left with no choice but to remove those bets from their platforms entirely.
Tide Is Turning Against College Player Props
While Maryland and Ohio are certainly populous states that have some sway nationally in terms of sports betting, Maryland’s ban on college player prop bets hasn’t moved the needle as much as say New York and Florida banning such bets.
Some states only prohibit these bets on in-state college teams — and actually don’t allow bettors to take any action involving in-state teams whatsoever — but more and more are realizing that player props in college just aren’t worth the risk.
It also should be emphasized that, outside of the concerns about spot fixing and the transfer of insider information for money, harassment issues on social media have become more and more prominent (and more and more ugly).
Many bettors that risk money on NCAA prop bets, for some reason, feel that they have the right to attack college athletes when they do not score enough points or gain enough yards.
The toll that these people can take on athletes’ mental health cannot be overstated and if there is a way to prevent that kind of harassment then states are well within their rights to do so.
This harassment existed even before widespread legal sports betting such as when fans might have gone after athletes for playing a role in their team losing a big game, for example.
But, when you add money and gambling into the mix, things can escalate as they have all too often. These types of bans won’t eliminate such harassment from ever occurring but they can definitely work to diminish it in a significant way.
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