New Jersey Considering Ban on College Player Prop Bets

The NCAA recently requested that states ban college player prop bets, and it appears New Jersey may soon oblige.

Senator Kristin Corrado introduced a bill prohibiting individual college player prop bets in the state. The bill comes just a few weeks after the NCAA requested that states outlaw the controversial bet type.

The driving force behind the effort to end college player props is a spike in harassment of college athletes. Since these bets focus on the statistical performance of a single athlete, bettors who lose have just one person to direct their rage at. That led to harassment on social media and in person, ranging from angry yelling to death threats.

“Prop bets have led to a rise in the harassment of student-athletes and have threatened the integrity of college sports. This bill will ban player-specific prop betting in New Jersey, which will help make college athletic events safer for all participants,” Corrado said of his proposal.

Some states, like Ohio, have enacted stricter laws to prosecute those harassing players over sports betting, but this hasn’t done much to clean up the issue. Social media allows people to make threats anonymously and avoid repercussions.

Strong support exists to end college prop betting in Garden State, but the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement had said it would wait for a direct request from the NCAA to take action. Corrado decided not to wait, instead proposing a bill to address the issue quickly. 

Other States Begining to Take Similar Action

New Jersey is one of the biggest states considering a change in college player props, but several have taken action. Louisiana became one of the first to create a ban on the bet type, which will go into effect ahead of the college football season.

Ohio, Maryland, and Vermont are also considering legislation to follow Louisiana’s lead. There are many other states that have yet to begin looking at making a change, though many of them have signaled they will be willing to do so.