SPORTS BETTING

North Carolina to consider bill to ban college prop bets

By Phil - 2 May 2024

North Carolina legislator intends to introduce legislation to ban college player prop bets, according to a staff member.

State Rep. Marcia Morey, D-Durham, a former Olympic swimmer, will submit a bill by the bill-filing deadline on Thursday to ban these bets, Hannah Smith – administrative assistance, told Gambling.com on Monday.

The North Carolina Legislature began meeting in Raleigh on 24 April, with the session set to end July 31.

Recently, NCAA President Charlie Baker, a former Massachusetts governor, called upon states to ban college player prop bets — short for proposition bets. Baker said these bets, based on an athlete’s individual performance, such as the over/under on the number of rebounds the player might record, could undermine the integrity of games and lead to harassment of players.

Former North Carolina Tar Heel star Armando Bacot is among athletes who have expressed concern about harassment. Bacot said he heard from fans angry that he didn’t get enough rebounds in an NCAA tournament game against Michigan State — a game the Tar Heels won.

Some states already ban these bets, while others, including Louisiana, intend to impose a ban this summer before the college and pro football seasons begin. In other states, the proposed ban has met with resistance.

Arkansas casino executive Carlton Saffa believes a ban would drive bettors to unregulated offshore sportsbooks or illegal bookies. He said a better solution is to keep those bets legal in regulated markets where irregulatries can be spotted.

“Sunshine is the best disinfectant,” said Saffa, chief market officer at Saracen Casino Resort in Pine Bluff.

College player prop bets remain legal in Arkansas.

In North Carolina, where statewide mobile sports betting became legal in March, state Rep. Jason Saine, R-Lincoln, said in a story on the WNCN-TV website that a college player prop ban is “a solution in search of a problem.”

If athletes are being harassed, he said, campus police should crack down on those making the threats and make an example of them. A ban won’t stop the problem, Saine said.

“If we ended (player prop bets) tomorrow, this kind of behavior would still continue with fanatical people,” Saine said. “Follow rules of society, you don’t threaten anybody, or you shouldn’t be. And, that’s kind of my take on it. I don’t think we need a whole new set of rules to pursue something like that.”

Morey, the lawmaker proposing the ban, said people are “forgetting about the individuals who are actually playing the game and having the pressure on them.”