UPDATED: States Exploring College Player Prop Betting Bans

Clemson’s PJ Hall (24) shoots a free throw during the first round game between Clemson University and University of New Mexico in the 2024 NCAA Tournament at FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn., on Friday, March 22, 2024.Following NCAA President Charlie Baker’s request, several states are exploring the ban of college player prop bettingOnly four states have no prohibitions whatsoever on college sports bettingLouisiana will likely make a change to its collegiate prop betting markets this week

A  number of states seem open to discussing a potential college player prop ban following NCAA President Charlie Baker’s recent request, with at least one state ready to move on a new policy this week.

Baker publicly called for a ban on college player prop bets last week, announcing the NCAA would begin contacting officials across the country to remove college player prop bets from all betting markets. Maryland, Ohio, and Vermont have most recently banned the player prop bets from their markets.

Several state sports betting regulators have told Sports Betting Dime they are open to a discussion and one is ready to move on a potential prohibition this week.

Louisiana to Announce New College Prop Bet Policy

Baker and the NCAA started their push to ban player props on individual college athletes earlier this year as a way to protect student-athletes from harassment stemming from bettors wagering on collegiate prop bets.

Baker said the NCAA hopes to institute a country-wide ban on college player prop bets to “protect student-athletes and to protect the integrity of the game.”

According to Saquandra Heath, associate director of external communications for the NCAA, the organization has started the process of reaching out to officials across the country to ask them to ban the prop markets.

“The NCAA is doing more than ever before to protect student-athletes and the integrity of competition from the harms of sports betting and would like to see all states ban individual performance prop bets on college competitions from their books. The NCAA has been working with states to deal with these threats and many are responding by banning college prop bets,” she told Sports Betting  Dime.

According to the NCAA, 21 states permit individual prop bets on college sports: Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, and Wyoming all permit collegiate prop bets on individual athletes to some extent.

Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Wyoming, and Washington, D.C. have no prohibitions whatsoever on college player prop bets.

Most recently, Ohio, Maryland, and Vermont have moved to prohibit individual prop bets on college sports. Louisiana may soon be joining their ranks, as Louisiana Gaming Control Board Chairman Ronnie S. Johns revealed regulators will be signing a new order this week to address the issue.

“For a few weeks now, the Louisiana Gaming Control Board has been formulating a new order to address this issue. We have been proactive on this ahead of the NCAA’s call to do so. Our order will be signed and made public in the next day or so,” Johns told Sports Betting Dime.

When asked if the new order would ban collegiate prop bets in some way, Johns said it “will address that issue.”

Johns noted the NCAA did not officially approach or request the Louisiana Gaming Control Board address the issue of collegiate player props. The board has been working on its new policy for the last several weeks.

“We have been proactive on this and its ironic that the NCAA request came right as we were finalizing our work. Our Board was not contacted directly by the NCAA but we observed that there was some public discussion between the NCAA and other states. We decided to move forward to address it ourselves,” Johns said.

No other details on the policy have been revealed.

Other States Open to Changes

While no other state has revealed a policy or plan to address the issue, several state regulators say they’re open to discussing potential changes with the NCAA.

Allison Inserro of the New Jersey Division of Gaming  Enforcement (DGE) said the NCAA has not formally approached the state to examine its policy, but would welcome a discussion.

“The Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) prioritizes the safety and integrity of sports wagering and their associated contests. DGE looks forward to discussing any concerns with the NCAA on player safety and match integrity.

New Jersey allows collegiate prop bets as long as they do not involve an in-state college or university.

A Kansas Lottery Commission spokesperson also noted the NCAA has not officially approached the commission to change its policy on collegiate sports betting, but would examine any request to modify its sports betting markets.

“We do allow them, and we will consider any request to disallow them based on its own merits. At this time, we have not received a request from the NCAA,” the Kansas Lottery Commission spokesperson said.

Kansas has no restrictions on collegiate prop sports betting.

Illinois and Iowa officials both noted the NCAA has yet to reach out to ban the bets. Illinois has no restrictions on collegiate player props, but has a law on the books that allow leagues and governing bodies to request the Illinois Gaming Board prohibit a specific type or form of sports betting.

An Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission spokesperson noted the state disallows prop bets on the performance or non-performance of any individual athletes participating in a single game or match of a college sports event involving an Iowa team.

The NCAA would have to reach out to the Iowa legislature to change the rules, the spokesperson noted.

“Whether or not the prohibitions that already exist under Iowa law might be expanded is a question for the Iowa legislature,” the commission spokesperson said.

Wyoming Gaming Commission Executive Director Charles E. Moore revealed to Sports Betting Dime that the gaming commission will be considering the NCAA’s request to prohibit collegiate player prop bets during its upcoming May 9, 2024, meeting.

Wyoming has no restrictions on college player prop betting.

Michigan may also be getting on board, as a Michigan Gaming Control Board spokesperson noted it “will be taking a look at this issue” following the NCAA’s interest in seeing the markets banned. Michigan originally prohibited college player props when it legalized sports betting in 2020, but revised its rules in late 2021 to allow betting on the markets.