New Jersey Considers Banning Player Props
Garden State Latest to Move Towards Eliminating College Player Props
College player props have become a hot topic for the NCAA. Ever since NCAA President Charlie Baker went on social media asking for states to end accepting those wagers, some have moved in that direction. Add one more state to the mix, as New Jersey considers banning player props, thanks to a bill by Senator Kristin Corrado. Corrado’s bill would prohibit sportsbooks in New Jersey from accepting player-specific prop bets on college sports. New Jersey already doesn’t allow college player props on teams from New Jersey or any game played in the state. This bill, however, would simply eliminate college player props altogether.
“Proposition bets have led to a rise in the harassment of student-athletes and have threatened the integrity of college sports,” Corrado said in a statement. “I have heard about many individuals who have been the victim of online harassment because they didn’t perform to the expectation of a bettor who made a side wager. This legislation will ban player-specific prop betting in New Jersey, which will help curb that appalling behavior, and make college athletic events safer for all participants.”
The anti-prop crowd received some help from North Carolina‘s Armando Bacot during the NCAA Tournament. After helping the Tar Heels into the Sweet 16, Bacot heard from plenty of gamblers who weren’t happy with his 18 points and seven rebounds. Rather than using the Tar Heels as one of their college basketball best bets, some bettors played the Bacot over props.
“Even at the last game, I guess I didn’t get enough rebounds or something,” he said. “I thought I played pretty good last game, but I looked at my DMs, and I got, like, over 100 messages from people telling me I sucked and stuff like that because I didn’t get enough rebounds.”
New Jersey Joining Other States
When New Jersey considers banning player props, it’s nothing unusual. Several states have made similar moves in the past few months. Maryland, Louisiana, Ohio, and Vermont are among the states that have recently moved towards eliminating player props.
However, not all states are going to remove college player props. Montana Lottery director Bob Brown wrote Baker and said the state is planning on keeping them. He did note that Montana’s lack of major universities has prevented the state from seeing some of the harassment problems found elsewhere. Brown also said that the state’s two big schools, Montana and Montana State, already have limited sports betting opportunities. The Montana Lottery didn’t want to diminish what few betting options state residents had.
Even though it’s been several weeks since Baker asked states to ban college player props, he hasn’t let the topic go. Before the men’s NCAA Tournament championship game, he was mentioning all the talk regarding Iowa‘s Caitlin Clark and her prop lines.
“Did any of you notice how much time was spent on cable TV about Caitlin Clark’s ‘prop’ performance in the first game and leading into the second game?” Baker asked. “Is that really what we should be talking about in the middle of a women’s Final Four? I think the answer from most people on that is ‘no.'”
Baker has plenty more work to do, but it’s a good thing when New Jersey considers banning player props. It’s one of the largest legal sports betting markets in the country.
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