Missouri Rejects Request from NCAA to Ban Player Prop Bets

The Show-Me State has decided to take a big gamble on its new sports betting market.

The Missouri Gaming Commission (MGC) has announced it will not ban bettors from wagering on college player props. The NCAA had requested that the state, along with several others, ban the controversial bet type. 

The league believes player prop bets are responsible for the rise of athlete harassment and betting scandals. They have previously asked states to consider a ban, and are renewing the fight after a massive betting scandal was recently uncovered. 

Many states have complied with the request to ban player prop betting, but others have been hesitant. Missouri joins the latter, citing a lack of evidence to support such a drastic change in its brand-new sports betting market.

The Missouri sports betting market is the first to launch with college player props since the NCAA began its campaign to ban the bet. It is also the first since the rise of prediction markets, which has no plans to ban college player props as it continues to grow.

Player Props Drive Sports Betting Revenue

While the MGC cited a lack of evidence for its decision, the NCAA had provided several examples linking the bet type to scandals and harassment. On its face, that should have been enough to convince the regulator to make the change, but things aren’t so simple.

Kambi’s 2025 Sports Betting Trend was recently released and found that player prop betting is driving much of the revenue sportsbooks see. Bettors who wager on player props place far more wagers than those who don’t. They are also usually added to parlays, which lose at a far higher rate than standard bets.

Some will blame the regulator for prioritizing profits over public health, but that isn’t necessarily true. The emergence of sports prediction markets has given bettors a way to wager on sports, but without being considered gambling. Those platforms aren’t regulated at the state level (or at all, for the moment), and have been pushing to expand their offering of player prop markets. That means residents could still wager on them even if the state banned sportsbooks from offering them.

Losing Missouri bettors to prediction markets could lead to a spike in problem gambling and cut crucial tax revenue without solving the NCAA’s issue. This could explain the regulator’s decision as it attempts to navigate uncharted waters.