NCAA President on Wednesday called for states with legal sports betting to ban prop bets on individual player performances, citing concerns about the integrity of competition and harassment of student-athletes. Prop bets allow gamblers to wager on player statistics during games, with recent allegations involving a Toronto Raptors player prompting an NBA investigation.
Several states, including Ohio, Vermont, and Maryland, have already prohibited prop betting on college athletes in response to the NCAA's efforts. The association is actively engaging with lawmakers in other states to encourage similar bans as legal sports gambling continues to expand across the country.
With the NCAA March Madness basketball tournaments underway, the rise in legal gambling has raised alarms about the potential risks for scandals, particularly with unpaid college athletes. The American Gaming Association estimates that $2.7 billion will be wagered on the NCAA tournaments through legal sportsbooks this year.
A survey conducted by the NCAA after last year's basketball tournaments revealed that a significant percentage of young adults aged 18 to 22 are engaging in gambling activities. NCAA officials have expressed concerns about the added pressure on college athletes due to the increased focus on player performance and team dynamics in the context of sports betting.
To address threats related to sports betting, the NCAA has partnered with a data science company to monitor and identify potential risks during championship events. This collaboration aims to track and mitigate harmful behavior directed at athletes participating in NCAA tournaments, with measures in place to block or trace such activities back to their source.
The NCAA's ongoing efforts to safeguard the integrity of college sports in the face of expanding legal sports gambling underscore the challenges posed by prop bets and the need for proactive measures to protect student-athletes and the spirit of fair competition.
