The NCAA has decided that college prop bets are not a good thing for sports, and they would like the states regulating sports betting to ban them all together. The collegiate sports organization is emphasizing that such wagers have detrimental impact on the integrity of their sports.
Some bettors are sure to find this an over reach. However, betting on collegiate games has always been treated a bit differently than betting on professional sports. And believe it or not, a dozen states have already taken the step of prohibiting college prop bets, with Ohio and Maryland joining the ban last month.
NCAA President Charlie Baker stated that “Sports betting issues are on the rise across the country with prop bets continuing to threaten the integrity of competition and leading to student-athletes and professional athletes getting harassed.”
Following Ohio’s decision, University of Dayton Athletics Director Neil Sullivan underscored the importance of prioritizing student safety in a statement to Spectrum News. The proposed restriction would still permit bettors to wager on game outcomes and spreads, while specifically targeting bets centered around individual players.
Baker echoed concerns about college prop bets and the integrity of games. While there have been no prominent public instances of college players manipulating their statistics to influence bets, the NBA initiated an investigation this week into suspicious prop betting wins involving a Toronto Raptors player.
“The NCAA is drawing the line on sports betting to protect student-athletes and to protect the integrity of the game…” Baker added, and that “…issues across the country these last severely days shows there is more work to be done.”