North Carolina Could Be Next State to Ban College Player Prop Bets

It seems that the Tar Heel State is about to join the growing ranks of states changing the rules regarding betting on college athletes.

North Carolina Representative Marcia Morey has begun leading a push to ban player prop betting on college athletes. The move comes a month after the NCAA officially requested that states consider banning the controversial bet type. 

“I was against sports betting totally, but now that we have it, I’ll live with it, but let’s make sure it’s sensible,” Morey told CBS 17 News. “I’m a former Olympic athlete, and I’m worried about that. I’m worried about the pressure it puts on athletes. Go ahead and bet on teams, bet on the win, the loss, whatever, but the individual athlete’s performance goes a step too far.”

College player prop betting has come under fire over the last year after a significant uptick in threats and harassment of athletes. Angry bettors are using social media to exact revenge for lost bets, which athletes have been opening up about.

While legislatures mostly support the ban, many bettors have been vocal about wanting to keep these bets available. They believe that the focus instead should be on investigating and punishing the people harassing these athletes. 

Momentum seems to be building behind banning college prop betting nationwide, which should lead to this proposed ban becoming law in North Carolina.

Retail Betting Yet to Launch 

North Carolina took the time to launch online sports betting, and it seems they are taking the same approach for the retail industry. While three brick-and-mortar sportsbooks exist at tribal casinos, the North Carolina Lottery Commission has yet to approve any other retail locations.

The delay in launching retail sportsbooks will come at a cost as the state hosts major PGA and NASCAR events this month alone, which attract hundreds of thousands of fans from around the country. The venues that host these events want to open retail sportsbooks, but neither has been approved.