Ohio’s Top Sports Betting Regulator Makes NCAA Player Prop Bets Illegal

On Friday, Ohio took a significant step in protecting college athletes from angry sports bettors. The Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) agreed to a request from the NCAA to make college prop betting illegal. 

While several states do not allow player-prop betting on college sports, Ohio was among the first to make it illegal far after the industry went live.

The OCCC’s decision comes as the NCAA attempts to protect college athletes. Player prop betting allows people to wager how a player performs in any game. While this is a popular bet for pro sports, it has been controversial at the college level. There have been too many instances where angry bettors begin to verbally (or sometimes physically) target them at games, school, or out in public. 

"Today's decision by the Ohio Casino Control Commission to prohibit player-specific prop bets on collegiate competitions marks a significant step in protecting student-athlete well-being and game integrity," NCAA president Charlie Baker said of the OCCC’s action. "I thank The Commission for recognizing the serious threats posed by prop bets and implementing controls to help safeguard student-athlete mental health from the risks of sports betting harassment and abuse."

Last year, The OCCC set a rule that anyone caught harassing college players would be banned from betting on sports in the Buckeye State. The rule addressed a growing problem, but the NCAA believed it was not enough and too difficult to enforce, leading to their request to eradicate the bet type. 

Will Other States Follow Suit?

Ohio is a large sports betting market, making its decision to ban college player prop betting significant. That will put a lot of pressure on the following states that currently allow those bets, a list that includes the following:

• Connecticut

• Illinois

• Kansas

• Kentucky

• Louisiana

• Maryland

• Michigan

• New Hampshire

• New Jersey

• Vermont

• Washington (state)

• West Virginia

• Wyoming

Indiana and Iowa also allow college player prop bets but have restrictions against placing them on on-state teams.

The above states will now need to decide if they will agree to the NCAA’s request, add restrictions, or simply allow the bet to continue.