Lynnae is a journalist covering the intersection of technology, culture, and gambling. She has more than five years of experience as a writer and editor, with bylines at SlashGear and MakeUseOf. On the iGaming side,...
Read Full BioThe NCAA renewed its push to have individual prop bets on college athletes banned last week, sending a formal request to state gambling regulators on the same day that federal prosecutors in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania unsealed a wide-ranging indictment charging 26 people in a bribery and point-shaving scheme involving more than 39 players on over 17 teams across dozens of games.
In a January 15 letter sent to state gambling commissions, NCAA President Charlie Baker called on regulators to amend state laws and rules to remove what the association describes as “high-risk” wagers, including individual player prop bets and certain game props such as first-half under markets.
Letter Coincides With Point-Shaving Indictments
The timing of the letter was deliberate. The NCAA sent the letter only hours after authorities announced charges connected to NCAA Division I men’s basketball games and Chinese Basketball Association games. While the NCAA didn’t go into detail about the allegations in its correspondence, it did note that the enforcement action was further evidence that current betting menus expose college sports to increased integrity risks.
“Following the federal indictments today involving basketball integrity issues, the NCAA reiterates our deep concerns about the dangers collegiate sports betting poses to the health, safety, and well-being of over 550,000 student-athletes and to the integrity of NCAA competitions,” Baker wrote.
According to the letter, the NCAA enforcement staff has opened investigations into 40 student-athletes at 20 schools for potential game manipulation in just the past year alone. The association said many of those investigations were linked to individual prop bets or first-half under markets. In a subset of cases already resolved, the NCAA said that investigators found 11 student-athletes from seven schools had improperly wagered on games, shared betting-related information, or taken actions that affected betting outcomes.
Familiar Fight Over College Prop Bets
The NCAA’s opposition to individual player prop bets is not new. Last week’s letter builds on a campaign that began in 2023 to curb prop betting in college sports. Baker and NCAA officials have repeatedly argued that wagers on an individual athlete’s performance increase the risk of harassment, the solicitation of insider information, and “spot-fixing,” in which a small portion of a game is manipulated without affecting the final outcome.
In March 2024, Baker took to social media to make his case against prop bets, publicly warning that they were “continuing to threaten the integrity of competition and leading to student-athletes and professional athletes getting harassed.”
These concerns were borne out in a recent NCAA survey that found, “36% of Division I men’s basketball players report receiving harassment from someone with a betting interest.” The association argues that because a student-athlete’s name is tied to player prop bets, this type of wagering increases the likelihood they’ll face harassment from bettors.
While gambling commissions in Louisiana, Maryland, Ohio, and Vermont have moved to restrict or ban college prop bets since 2024, the NCAA pointed out that in more than half of the 39 states where sports betting is legal, these wagers are still allowed in some form.
In addition to banning individual college prop bets, the NCAA is urging states to adopt stricter penalties for bettors who harass student-athletes and to create formal mechanisms allowing leagues to consult with regulators before new wager types are approved.
