A drop in the ocean

The Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) has introduced a blanket ban on all college sports player prop bets with immediate effect. Both NCAA President Charlie Baker and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine requested the change because of concerns about these types of markets.

This means that sportsbook operators cannot offer any prop bets based on the individual performance of a college athlete in an NCAA-governed event. They can only accept prop wagers based on full-team performance. Operators also cannot offer team-based markets in which, on average, the result depends at least 50% on the performance of one or two athletes.

only a small portion of the overall wagers

The OCCC agreed that the NCAA and the governor provided “good cause” to ban these markets. They were only a small portion of the overall wagers that legal sportsbooks in Ohio accepted – of the $7.65bn betting handle last year, about $104m, or 1.35%, were college sports prop bets.

Not everyone is happy

Each of the eight online sportsbook operators in Ohio opposed the move. Some of them pointed toward their ability to properly investigate claims of harassment or bullying of college athletes and take the necessary actions.

25 US states either limit or completely prohibit prop bets relating to the performance of individual college athletes.

Some said that banning these markets would only drive bettors to black market platforms that do not properly protect customers and aren’t compliant with the laws in Ohio that aim to safeguard college athletes. OCCC Executive Director Matthew Schuler said that there is no factual evidence to suggest that many bettors will make this transition.

Key reasons for introducing the ban

The NCAA outlined six reasons why regulators should consider prohibiting player prop bets. Among the most serious was bettors threating student-athletes and negatively impacting their mental health and overall wellbeing.

could entice athletes to bet on themselves or fix matches

Prop bets specific to individual athletes also increased the chance of the nefarious use of insider information; these markets could entice athletes to bet on themselves or fix matches. College students have also been found to be more susceptible to problem gambling, which could be worsened by the availability of college player prop bets.

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