Montana Refuses to Ban Prop Bets, Says They Don’t Hurt Local Sports

As part of its efforts to protect student-athletes, the NCAA has been trying hard to promote the ban on player prop bets on college sports. Some states have heeded NCAA president Charlie Baker’s calls but Montana is having none of it.

According to Bob Brown, director of the Montana Lottery, the issues that other states face are not necessarily present in Montana. He acknowledged the efforts to protect younger athletes from harm and harassment but added that he believes the prop bet discussions are not a relevant topic in the Treasure State.

Brown noted that Montana has a fairly low population and only two large universities. Because of that, its student-athletes have not been affected by the negative effects of player prop bets, he believes.

In addition, the director pointed out that local teams already have a very limited number of markets. The Montana Lottery therefore does not plan to prohibit player prop betting.

For reference, Montana has a population of 1.1 million. Sports betting in the state is offered exclusively by the Montana Lottery and its Sports Bet Montana betting brand.

Brown Praised the Efforts to Protect Young Athletes

In the meantime, the NCAA continues to promote the ban on player prop bets, arguing that they are destroying the integrity of the sport and leading to many cases of athletes getting harassed. According to president Baker, cases of student-athletes receiving threats from disgruntled bettors have only increased, causing distress among young sports players.

As the demands to protect athletes grow louder, a bunch of states advanced measures that would prevent gambling operators from offering player prop bets on college sports. These include Maryland and Louisiana, which are wary of the adverse effects betting may have on sports.  

While Brown doesn’t believe Montana is experiencing the same problems, he addressed this issue and praised the NCAA’s efforts to protect younger athletes from harassment. He also said that the Montana Lottery would support regulations that would lead to the identification and prosecution of punters who harass athletes.

Brown concluded that the creation of such regulations would be a part of his team’s efforts to strengthen the sports betting sector in the state.

In the meantime, West Virginia and New Mexico are already working on measures that would allow authorities to prosecute people who harass student-athletes and coaches online.