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More and more states are starting to rethink the offering off player (or performance) prop bets in college sports.
This is a direct result of player harassment, as noted in West Virginia. That state recently passed a law, not only banning wagering on said player props, but authorizing the removal and banning of any fan found to be harassing college athletes.
Ohio recently began banning such player props as well. Offshore sportsbooks and local bookies have yet to enforce such restrictions, even in states where regulators have taken such steps.
In March, North Carolina basketball player Armando Bacot revealed that he received dozens of messages that criticized him for his perceived poor performance in a tournament game against Michigan State. According to Bacot, the messages frequently mentioned his inability to record enough rebounds for bettors to win props.
“Individuals who harass athletes, amateur or professional, over a sports bet should not be tolerated,” Joe Maloney, senior vice president of strategic communications for the American Gaming Association, told ESPN.
On Tuesday, appearing on Capitol Hill, the president of the NCAA called for an outright ban on these types of performance prop bets.
In the six years since the U.S. Supreme Court paved the way for legal sports gambling across the U.S., harassment and abuse directed at student-athletes has grown, said Charlie Baker, speaking to members of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
"We believe that when bettors can't gamble on college athletes' individual performances, they're far less likely to attempt to scrutinize, coerce or harass student-athletes," Baker said.
"They get demands for money from unhappy bettors for trivial things that don't impact the result on the field," Baker said. "Many have received death threats from bettors, and they also receive other, in-person threats and accusations directed at them while they're leaving or coming onto the field of play."
Baker referenced the Bacot incident.
Baker also called for federal regulations designed to prevent known harassers from betting again in the future.
