Multiple States Have Banned NCAA Prop Bets, Will NC Follow Suit?
NC Legislators Oppose Prop Bets: Rise in Harassment a Concern
NCAA president Charlie Baker is calling for a ban on college prop bets in states where sports betting is legal.
Turns out, not everyone is on board.
As Baker urges states to take initiative, some North Carolina lawmakers have spoken out against such actions despite concerns over a rise in the harassment of student-athletes and coaches.
“I really think this is a salutation in search of a problem,” state Rep. Jason Saine said via CBS 17 in North Carolina. “I hope the campus police are following up on if there were threats, I hope they follow up on that. And these people should be pursued.
I think enough people, if an example is made of them, that this is not going to be tolerated, this is not how we function as a civilized society, then that problem takes care of itself.”
Here’s more on NC legislators opposing a prop ban.
Protecting Well-Being and Integrity
The topic gained greater attention this week when Baker issued a statement asking states like North Carolina, which legalized online sports gambling last month, to eliminate NCAA prop bets.
Baker’s concern is that these bets have led to an increase in the harassment of athletes and coaches. That’s because they are dependent on individual performances, such as how many points a player will score.
States such as Maryland, Ohio and Vermont have already banned these props, even in the best online sportsbooks. Vermont also no longer allows betting on individual college awards, such as the Heisman or Naismith. Meanwhile, West Virginia recently amended its betting laws by introducing a bill banning abusive gamblers.
Baker supported these decisions, calling Ohio’s ban a “significant step in protecting student-athlete well-being and game integrity.”
Dayton men’s basketball coach Anthony Grant was among the first people to raise the issue. Last season, Grant expressed his dismay over hateful, gambling-related messages directed to both him and his players. He contended that the attacks came from angry bettors.
“There’s some laws that have recently been enacted, that really speak to me — it could change the landscape of what college sports is about,” Grant said during a postgame press conference. “And when we have people that make it about themselves and attack kids because of their own agenda, it sickens me.”
Uncertainty About What’s Next
Last week, North Carolina star Armando Bacot said he’s been on the receiving end of verbal abuse too.
“It’s terrible,” Bacot told reporters. “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.”
Despite that, NC legislators opposing a prop ban think there’s better ways to solve the problem.
“If we ended it tomorrow, this kind of behavior would still continue with fanatical people,” Saine said via 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.”
According to Van Denton, a spokesperson for the NC Education Lottery, the NCAA has yet to contact the state about a potential ban.
“If the Commission receives a request from the NCAA to prohibit college player prop bets, it will give such request due consideration as required by the sports betting statute,” Denton told CBS 17.
“The roll-out of sports betting in North Carolina has been smooth and successful, in part, due to the careful and deliberate manner in which the Commission has approached its responsibilities.”
Part of that discipline has been to avoid prematurely signaling the content of proposed rules and/or other actions. As the Commission continues it rulemaking process, it intends to maintain that same posture.”
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