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- Rampant sports betting harassment of college athletes has prompted the NCAA to push for eliminating player prop bets.
- Fifteen states have already banned college prop betting, while others are passing legislation to ban harassing bettors.
State lawmakers and regulators are increasingly targeting player prop bets and bettor misconduct as the NCAA warns that sports betting harassment of college athletes has become an urgent problem.
The issue has gained traction as legalized sports betting has spread across the U.S. and wagering on individual player performance has become more common. NCAA President Charlie Baker said athlete harassment tied to betting was the top concern raised in meetings with college players, while recent survey data points to the scale of the problem.
In March 2026, the NCAA reported that one in three men’s basketball players surveyed said they had experienced online, verbal, or physical abuse connected to sports betting. One in four said they had faced that harassment in person.
Prop bets put pressure on individual athletes
A Capital News Service analysis cited in the report found nearly 21,000 opportunities to bet on individual athletes during this year’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament. That worked out to more than 300 player-focused wagers per game, with nearly 1,000 prop bets available during the Final Four.
Critics say those prediction markets can turn players into direct targets for angry bettors. NCAA managing director of enterprise risk management Clint Hangebrauck said the association has worked to eliminate player prop bets because “We feel like they put a direct target on the back of student-athletes.“
Ronald Rychlak, a law professor at the University of Mississippi, said the pressure on college athletes is especially hard to justify because betting outcomes can hinge on a single pass, shot, or rebound by unpaid or lightly compensated players. Researchers quoted in the source also said the cycle of betting losses can intensify emotional reactions and fuel abuse on social media and in person.
States respond with bans and enforcement tools
The policy response is already moving at the state level. According to the source, Maryland, New York, and Ohio are among 15 states that have banned prop betting, while more than a dozen states and the District of Columbia have imposed some form of sports betting restriction.
Some states are now going beyond market restrictions and focusing directly on bettor behavior. West Virginia passed a measure requiring bettors who harass student-athletes to be banned from sports wagering in the state. In Louisiana, lawmakers passed a bill in May giving the state gaming commission authority to ban suspected harassing gamblers.
The NCAA has also tried to raise awareness through its “Draw the Line” campaign, launched in March 2024. Baker has urged Congress and state legislatures to act, arguing that the expansion and normalization of sports betting, along with constant advertising and incentives, has increased the risks for college players.
What comes next will likely center on whether more states follow with prop-bet limits, bettor exclusion measures, or both.
Source: As reported by ANNIE RYAN.
