The NCAA weighed in on its push to ban college player prop betting nationwide Friday, suggesting it’s pleased with current progress.
“The NCAA’s efforts are paying off,” an NCAA spokesperson wrote in a release.
Louisiana have all acted to ban college player prop betting. The moves come as the NCAA requests a national ban on college player prop wagering, believing that the existence of player prop betting increases the chance an athlete receives harassment.
Legislators in Wyoming’s sports betting regulator discussed the topic at a meeting earlier this month.
Alarming data about harassment 396r1e
The NCAA shared data related to sports betting and harassment in Friday’s release, speaking to why it believes a college player prop ban is necessary.
Among the notable findings was that in sports with the largest betting handle, between 15-25% of abuse facing those athletes was betting related. The NCAA also reported that one in every three “high-profile athletes” are subjected to abusive comments from bettors.
A growing interest in women’s sports – both from casual fans and bettors alike – has also seemingly led to an uptick in harassment for those athletes. The NCAA shared that women’s basketball players received about three times more threats than men’s basketball players.
Does a ban fix the issue? 4j4o43
It’s unclear if banning college player prop bets makes a noticeable difference in player harassment.
Anecdotally, it could reduce harassment of the highest profile athletes. UNC’s Armando Bacot shared during this year’s basketball season that he received harassment for failing to hit certain prop bets, a comment the NCAA cited in its release. Banning player prop betting on legal betting apps doesn’t stop a bettor from using an illegal platform to place the same prop bets, though.
It’s also possible – and perhaps likely – athletes will receive harassment for how their performance impacts a team-wide bet, such as the spread, moneyline, or total. TCU’s Damion Baugh hit a lengthy 3-pointer at the buzzer in the 2023 NCAA Tournament to cut a loss to Gonzaga from six points to three points. The shot helped the Horned Frogs cover the spread, and angry Gonzaga bettors sent him harassing social media messages.
While banning player props could theoretically curtail some harassment, the NCAA doesn’t view it as a total fix. The NCAA’s Friday release also shared for states banning bettors from wagering if they’re found harassing players, coaches, or officials. Ohio and West Virginia are among the states with those regulations in place.
