A group of 11 Democratic lawmakers in the North Carolina House of Representatives have introduced a bill to ban prop bets on college athletes. HB 967, whose primary sponsor is Rep. Marcia Morey, would also prohibit in-person betting at a venue hosting a college sports contest in the eight hours before and during the game.
Democratic Sen. Julie Mayfield also filed an identical bill in the state Senate on Wednesday.
College prop bets have been in the spotlight recently, as March Madness ended just about a month ago. With only about a dozen states left that do not have legal sports betting, betting odds were pervasive on game broadcasts, sports shows, and social media. And the players, even if they have no idea what the lines are, are well aware of the gambling.
over 100 messages on his phone from people mad at him for not grabbing more rebounds
Prior to his team’s Sweet Sixteen game against Alabama, University of North Carolina star center Armando Bacot said he had over 100 messages on his phone from people mad at him for not grabbing more rebounds in a blowout victory over Michigan State. A food delivery guy even told him that Bacot “fucked up his parlay.”
Most states have some sort of restriction on college player prop bets. Some ban them entirely – Ohio and Maryland both did so earlier this year – while others like New Jersey don’t allow prop bets on in-state teams. A recent bill in New Jersey aims to prohibit college props entirely.
Though the NCAA has called for a nationwide ban on college player props, not all lawmakers are willing to have that discussion. Republican Rep. Jason Saine told Raleigh’s WRAL News that he would rather increase punishments for those that harass college athletes than take away something from gamblers who behave properly.