Maryland Lottery and Gaming Pulls College Player Props

The State of Maryland became the latest to end college player prop wagers. The new guidelines from the state went into effect March 1 with little fanfare. There was no announcement by Maryland Lottery and Gaming.

Bettors who make college prop bets had no idea they were no longer allowed. It was the DraftKings customer support team who brought the new guidelines into the open. A customer inquiry was made over the fact that no college basketball prop bets were being offered on Monday.

“Hi there, due to state regulations, players in Maryland will be unable to wager on NCAA Player Props,” DraftKings wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The banned college player props are single-game wagers, such as scoring a certain number of points or grabbing rebounds. Making expert picks wagers on college player props on awards, such as the Heisman Trophy, are still allowed by Maryland sportsbooks.

Maryland’s decision to end college player props comes just after Ohio also eliminated player props. The Ohio Casino Control Commission said it was responding to a request by the NCAA to drop the bets. The NCAA made the request to the state on Jan. 31.

The NCAA request stated, “The NCAA national office contacted several Ohio Division I schools about challenges related to sports betting and their athletics departments. Those schools cited issues surrounding player prop bets, including multiple instances of harassment and other well-being concerns.”

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine was quick to commend the OCCC decision.

“The Ohio Casino Control Commission took quick action to protect student-athletes from unnecessary and potentially harmful threats,” DeWine said in a Feb. 23 statement. “Amending rules to focus bets on the team and away from individual athletes will improve the marketplace in Ohio and properly focus betting attention on the teams and away from individual student-athletes.”

Few States Allow In-State College Player Props

Maryland Lottery and Gaming now finds itself aligned with the majority of states when it comes to college player props. Most states do not allow college player prop wagers.

Six states allow them, but they cannot involve in-state teams. There are just four states, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan and Wyoming, that allow college player props, as does Washington, D.C.

Although eight sportsbooks in Ohio lobbied against eliminating college player props, they don’t receive much betting. The OCCC said 1.35% of bets made in 2023 were on college player props.

It’s unknown if the NCAA sent letters to all of the states allowing college player props, but you have to believe it did. It makes no sense to single out one particular state for something taking place in several states. So, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the remaining states follow suit in the near future.

College player prop bets is not the only matter Maryland Lottery and Gaming is facing. There’s also last month’s bill sponsored by Maryland Delegate Pamela Queen seeking to ban online sports wagering on college campuses.

Queen has not said if possible harassment of student-athletes played a part in creating the legislation. She did say the bill was introduced after she viewed a program showing college students wagering their tuition money.

For gambling news, odds analysis, and more, visit Point Spreads Sports Magazine.

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