NCAA President Criticizes Prop Bets on College Sports

Over the last five years, the sports betting sector across the United States has grown exponentially. That became possible thanks to the repeal of PASPA by the US Supreme Court back in 2018. By now, there are nearly 40 states that offer some form of legal sports wagering. With billions wagered on sports annually, concerns about the integrity of sports, especially ones that involve college athletes, soar.

Currently, there are nearly ten states that offer a short form of wagers known as prop bets. Those bets enable bettors and sports fans alike to place wagers on specific events during a game. Such can include missed shots and penalties, among other aspects that are not related to the general outcome of the game, which is how usual betting works.

Charlie Baker, the president of the NCAA and former Massachusetts governor, revealed that he is concerned about the negative impact prop bets may have on the integrity of college sports and particularly on the well-being of college athletes. In a recent interview with CBS News, the former governor spoke about the risks associated with those bets and the possible negative impact they may have on college athletes.

Baker and the NCAA supported the idea to ban prop betting for college sports or sports events that involved student-athletes. He explained that student-athletes may be under pressure from classmates or friends due to such wagers. Baker said that college athletes may even get into trouble, saying that they might be approached by classmates or friends with offers such as: “What I’d really appreciate is if you could just miss your first couple of free throws this week — it won’t affect the outcome of the game, but it would really help me…”

Protection of Student-Athletes Is Paramount

NCAA’s president explained that prop bets are one of his biggest worries when it comes to legal sports betting. “I think prop betting in some respects is one of the parts I worry about the most,” he said. According to him, legislative changes are required to ensure the protection of college athletes.

At the same time, Baker said that an ongoing priority for the NCAA is the protection of the athletes. He stressed that educating student-athletes on how to stay away from trouble is an important goal for the NCAA. Finally, Baker said that even if such students engage in sports betting, those breaches are uncovered easily.

Recently, the NCAA confirmed the adoption of new guidelines applicable to student-athletes who breach the established rules for sports betting. The newly implemented guidelines reduced the penalty for athletes who placed wagers on teams different than their own.