The present and future of college sports prop betting

One of the interesting nuances of the Supreme Court’s decision to repeal the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act in 2018 and open the door for widespread legalization in the United States was that it meant each state could pick and choose what betting options it wanted available to its inhabitants.

Every state that has legalized sports betting allows betting on the NFL and college football, but allowing inhabitants to bet on in-state college teams and college prop bets were two areas of division. In some cases, this meant that residents couldn’t bet on teams within the state – such as when New Jersey residents were unable to wager on Saint Peter’s basketball games in 2022 because of the prohibition of betting on in-state college teams.

The goal of these prohibitions on in-state college teams was to theoretically reduce the likelihood of betting scandals for college athletes, who may have been more at risk given that they weren’t being paid. However, the landscape of college sports has changed substantially since then with the advent of name, image and likeness (NIL) deals.

After the rise of betting controversies in college sports, including former Alabama baseball coach Brad Bohannon providing inside information to a bettor and unusual betting activity surrounding Temple University’s basketball team, NCAA president Charlie Baker called for a ban on college player props from sportsbooks in March.

“Sports betting issues are on the rise across the country with prop bets continuing to threaten the integrity of competition and leading to student-athletes and professional athletes getting harassed,” Baker said in a statement in March. “The NCAA has been working with states to deal with these threats and many are responding by banning college prop bets.”

Several states, including Ohio, Vermont and Maryland have banned college sports player props altogether this year, and Baker is hoping that other states follow suit.

The following 16 states currently do not allow college sports player props :

These 12 states allow college sports player props, but not on teams within the state:

Finally, these 10 states allow college player props without restriction:

There has certainly been momentum from states to ban individual college player props, but it would be surprising if all states followed suit. Ultimately, it’s up to each state to decide.

It will be another interesting storyline to follow as college football season approaches.