Statewide Ban on College Prop Bets Proposed in New Jersey

New Jersey lawmakers are considering a proposal to ban prop betting on college sports, following reports of student athlete harassment linked to gambling. If the bill passes, it would prohibit wagers on individual player performances, such as rebounds, touchdowns, or yards gained during college games.

Prop bets allow gamblers to wager on specific game statistics rather than just the final outcome or point spread. While popular among bettors, this type of betting has raised concerns due to its potential impact on athletes. According to NCAA Director of Government Relations Austin Mayo, one in three college athletes in heavily wagered sports has reported harassment from gamblers.

These concerns are highlighted in a report from Signify Group, which examined abusive messages targeting student athletes. Between November 2023 and June 2024, the report documented over 5,000 abusive messages and identified 72,000 instances of triggered abusive content from 1.3 billion social media posts.

The findings revealed that 12% of the abusive posts were related to sports betting and match-fixing. Additionally, a third of all abuse was sexual or sexist in nature, with many athletes targeted by frustrated gamblers.

While prop betting remains a popular option among gamblers, its connection to athlete harassment has sparked a nationwide conversation. The debate centers on balancing the rights of bettors with the need to protect college athletes from harmful interactions.

If New Jersey moves forward with the proposed ban, it would join a growing list of states taking action to regulate prop betting. Advocates for the ban argue that it could reduce harassment by limiting the focus on individual athletes, while opponents raise concerns about potential revenue losses for sportsbooks.

New Jersey isn’t alone in addressing this issue. Louisiana recently enacted a statewide ban on prop betting for college athletes, effective this summer. Several other states, including Colorado, Arizona, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, and Oregon, have also introduced regulations to restrict or ban prop betting on college sports.

Other states, such as Illinois, Connecticut, and Iowa, have limited prop betting to exclude in-state teams, aiming to reduce the direct impact on local athletes. Meanwhile, Maryland, Ohio, and Vermont have implemented outright bans on prop betting for college sports events.