NCAA head wants to ban college prop bets

NCAA President Charlie Baker requested states yesterday to ban prop betting on college matches, even where wagering on sports events is legal, saying it threatens the game’s integrity and the safety of student-athletes.

Baker’s request comes just days after the NBA confirmed it’s investigating unusual prop betting patterns involving Raptors forward Jontay Porter.

Prop bets, short for proposition bets, allow gamblers to bet on players’ individual statistics in a game instead of the outcome of games.

Earlier this year, a gambling watchdog identified prop betting irregularities during two Temple University basketball games. Unusual betting patterns involving the University of Alabama and Iowa University were also flagged last year.

An NCAA survey found that 58% of 18 to 22-year-olds have placed at least one sports bet, with 67% of college students living on campus and 41% betting on their school’s teams.

College sports betting isn’t small
The American Gaming Association estimates $2.7 billion to be bet on men’s and women’s March Madness tournaments this year.

Although this is only a fraction (2.2%) of legal bets placed by Americans last year, NCAA head Baker believes it causes undue stress on student players.

Currently, states such as Ohio, Maryland, Vermont, Massachusetts and Oregon have banned prop bets on collegiate sports, while Michigan, Wyoming, Kansas and Louisiana still allow them.

Some states only prohibit prop bets on in-state schools, including Connecticut, Illinois and Iowa.