NCAA President Charlie Baker Wants College Player Prop Bets Banned

Charlie Baker, President of the NCAA, wants to ban college player props across the board. In a statement posted to X yesterday, he said:

“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. The NCAA has been working with states to deal with these threats and many are responding by banning college prop bets.”

The NCAA’s Next Steps

Baker continued by outlining his plan to encourage states to consider a player prop ban:

“This week we will be contacting officials across the country in states that still allow these bets and ask them to join Ohio, Vermont, Maryland, and many others and remove college prop bets from all betting markets. The NCAA is drawing the line on sports betting to protect student-athletes and to protect the integrity of the game—issues across the country these last several days show there is more work to be done.”

Among the states cited by Baker is Ohio, one of the most recent markets to outright prohibit college player props. The Buckeye State recently placed its blanket ban on the bets. The NCAA explained the key issues to regulators in Ohio, including player safety, ongoing harassment, and the potential for responsible gambling issues. While sportsbooks in Ohio fought back — saying bettors would go to offshore sites to place these bets anyway — the Ohio Casino Control Commission sided with the NCAA. Ohio also has legislation in place allowing sportsbooks to ban anyone who harasses a player from using betting platforms.

Why Player Props Are an Issue in College Sports (And Beyond)

Prop bets on a specific player’s performance present a myriad of issues that can result in harassment and place players in dangerous situations. In many cases, players have been targeted with harassment, up to and including death threats, on social media from bettors.

The NCAA is trying to lead the charge, but professional leagues are also taking a closer look at prop bets. The NBA is investigating two games in which Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter left early due to injury or illness and “Under” bets on certain stats paid out.

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