In Ohio, three lawmakers are questioning the decision to ban prop bets on individual college athletes. The ban was enacted to protect students from harassment. However, the lawmakers contend that since college athletes now receive compensation, they should be treated like professionals.
Banning prop bets
In February 2024, the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) and the National Collegiate Athletic Administration (NCAA) decided to ban player prop bets in college sports. This means that bets on individual athlete performance or statistics are forbidden. Bets that rely entirely on the performance of one position are also banned. For example, betting on the number of goals blocked during a game is prohibited, as it ultimately involves the performance of one identifiable player – the goal keeper. Only full team proposition bets are accepted.
Harassment
This decision was driven by numerous cases of harassment reported in recent years. A basketball coach at the University of Dayton shared messages his players had received. Speaking about his 18 to 22-year-old players, Coach Anthony Grant declared, “They are just kids. This sickens me. They have families. They don’t deserve that. Mental health is real.”
Following this exposure, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine declared, “One year into sports gambling in Ohio, we have seen a marketplace develop where a number of bad actors have engaged in unacceptable behaviour by making threats against student-athletes in Ohio and across the country.” He added, “By amending rules to focus bets on the team and away from individual athletes, I believe we can improve the marketplace in Ohio and better protect student-athletes from unnecessary and potentially harmful threats.”
Match-Fixing
As another reason to justify prop bets ban, the OCCC also ruled that player-specific prop bets significantly increased the risk of insider information. This type of bet was viewed as a potential temptation for athletes to fix matches and bet for or against themselves.
Opposing the decision
Three Republican lawmakers recently opposed this decision. “Reports of harassment and potential threats are unacceptable at any stage of athletics,” the lawmakers said. “Such acts should be investigated and prosecuted accordingly. But the response from the OCCC to simply ban prop betting on individual collegiate athletes looks to solve the problem without addressing the issue. We recommend that the OCCC’s policy be rescinded and prop betting on college athletes be restored.”
They argued that since college athletes are now compensated, they are akin to professional athletes and should therefore be subject to player prop betting.
In Ohio, harassers of college or professional athletes will be prosecuted and banned from sports betting.
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