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College player prop betting is facing renewed opposition from within the Big Ten, where student athlete representatives are calling for stronger action from national leadership.
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Instead of focusing on sportsbook revenue or state tax gains, the debate in the Big Ten centers on athlete welfare. The Big Ten Student-Athlete Issues Commission formally urged Charlie Baker to continue pursuing restrictions on player prop betting in college sports.
In its letter, the SAIC acknowledged that legal sports betting has expanded nationwide. However, the commission drew a clear distinction between general wagering and betting tied to individual athlete performance.
The SAIC wrote:
“While we understand that sports betting is becoming increasingly more common across the country and allows for states to generate increased tax revenue, prop betting represents unique risks at the college level. We believe protecting student-athletes must be a priority. Limiting or eliminating prop betting on college athletics would be a meaningful step toward reducing harassment, protecting mental well-being, and preserving the integrity of college competition.”
Support for the position also came from Tony Pettiti, who publicly backed the SAIC effort and expressed appreciation for the NCAA prohibition initiative.
Integrity risks form a central concern. In January, federal prosecutors indicted 20 individuals on gambling charges, including 12 former college basketball players. At the same time, the NCAA ruled several players ineligible during its own investigations into game manipulation and performance related misconduct.
The SAIC argued that player specific betting markets amplify suspicion and pressure, even when athletes are not involved in wrongdoing. Markets built around individual statistics or plays can trigger accusations when results do not align with betting expectations.
The commission wrote: “Given the amateur status of student-athletes, external pressures associated with prop betting can be magnified. These athletes are often young and more susceptible to influence, including financial incentives that may encourage them to perform in a certain way or affect specific outcomes.”
Harassment also features prominently in the SAIC argument. According to the letter, “prop betting exposes players to increased and aggravated social media pressure and harassment” when individual statistical benchmarks are missed.
The commission described the pattern in direct terms:
“Student-athletes should not be blamed or attacked for the outcome of someone else’s bet. There are fans that sit behind the bench yelling horrible things when expectations are not met, and the keyboard warriors not in attendance send cruel DMs to players when bets do not cash out. Prop bets are a direct avenue to the overwhelming number of death threats that student-athletes receive if they ‘ruin a parlay’ or cause a fan to lose their bet. Sports betting does not give anyone the right to dehumanize athletes.”