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A political line is forming around sports wagering, and it runs straight through prop bets. After a run of athlete-linked betting cases, pressure is building in Washington for a national response rather than a state-by-state patchwork.
Good to Know
US Senator Brian Schatz is preparing a federal proposal aimed squarely at prop betting, according to comments shared with journalist Pablo Torre.
Schatz, a Democrat from Hawaii, said he plans to introduce legislation in 2026 that would heavily regulate prop bets. Torre shared the plan publicly on X and noted that the effort would also cover illegal offshore sportsbooks, not only regulated US operators.
The timing reflects growing unease inside professional sports.
Several betting scandals tied to NBA and Major League Baseball figures involved manipulation of narrow game outcomes rather than full results. Those cases exposed how wagers tied to a single play or individual stat can invite abuse when information travels faster than oversight.
Schatz addressed that concern directly in a statement provided to the Pablo Torre Finds Out podcast.
He said:
“In just a few years, sports betting has grown into a billion-dollar industry, changing the way fans engage with sports, while providing new revenue streams for leagues.”
He added:
“But when every in-game moment and outcome can be wagered on, it creates real risks. Integrity is essential to competitive sport, and recent allegations about gambling in the NBA and MLB have made it clear we need federal protections. We’re working on legislation to stop the kind of prop betting that gives a single bad actor the ability to manipulate a specific, singular outcome for a big payout. This is about protecting fans and restoring public trust in sports.”
The framing matters. Rather than calling for a full rollback of legal sports betting, the proposal targets the most granular markets. Player props, especially under bets and single-action outcomes, sit at the center of the concern.
That approach mirrors positions already voiced by major leagues. The National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball have both warned that certain prop formats heighten risk by tying payouts to moments that one person can influence.
A federal layer would change the balance of power.
Sports betting currently lives under state control, with wide variation in allowed markets. A national rule set aimed at prop bets could override that diversity, especially if lawmakers include offshore sites that already operate outside US licensing systems.