End of prop betting?
A new piece of legislation is on the table in New Jersey that, if passed, would bring an end to prop betting on collegiate games in the state.
State Senator Kristin Corrado (R-Passaic) introduced S-3080 on Sunday, a new bill that seeks to ban licensed gambling operators in New Jersey from accepting or offering wagers “on player-specific proposition bets” across all college sports.
introduced to curtail the abuse of student-athletes
Corrado took to X Tuesday to share her thinking behind S-3080, which the Senator said she introduced to curtail the abuse of student-athletes:
Corrado expanded on the bill in a New Jersey Senate Republican Office press release. She said: “I have heard about many individuals who have been the victim of online harassment because they didn’t perform to the expectation of a bettor who made a side wager.”
It’s the Senator’s hope that S-3080 will help curb harassment she labeled “appalling behavior,” ensure college sporting events are safer for all taking part, and combat the threat to the integrity of US collegiate sports.
Momentum gathers US-wide
New Jersey currently allows college prop betting provided the games in question happen outside state borders. Wagering on any game anywhere involving a home-state college team is, however, against the law.
The introduction of S-3080 follows suit of Louisiana, Maryland, and Ohio in introducing college prop bet legislation. It also jibes with the NCAA stance that this form of betting represents an integrity threat to college sports.
the NCAA helped convince four states to axe prop betting
Earlier this week, NCAA President Charlie Baker said the NCAA helped convince four states to axe prop betting and others to pass player-protection bills.
Baker’s war cry
Speaking to reporters ahead of the men’s NCAA showdown between Purdue University and North Carolina State University, Baker addressed what he called the “challenging” issue of prop betting.
According to The Athletic, Baker flagged up the attention cable TV devoted to the prop performance of the University of Iowa’s Caitlin Clark following her team’s 71-69 win over the University of Connecticut in the March Madness semi-final. “Was that really what we should be talking about in the middle of a women’s Final Four? I think the answer for that for most people is no.”
Baker stated a lot of student-athletes have told him how prop betting is “enormously problematic” for them. He believes there is a need to take the fact “student-athletes generally are surrounded by a huge percentage of their classmates and their schoolmates who bet on sports” seriously.