NCAA wants NC and other states to eliminate prop bets on college athletes
RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) – The president of the NCAA on Wednesday called on states to eliminate certain bets involving college athletes, as state officials revealed new numbers on bets placed during the first week sports betting in North Carolina became legal.
NCAA President Charlie Baker posted a statement on X, urging states to stop allowing prop bets on individual athletes.
He says those bets are “continuing to threaten the integrity of competition and leading to student-athletes and professional athletes getting harassed.”
Ohio, Vermont and Maryland have recently banned college prop bets from betting markets.
In North Carolina, where sports betting went live on March 11, people can place bets on a player’s performance, such as how many points they’ll score in a game.
State Rep. Jason Saine (R-Lincoln), one of the lawmakers who led the effort to legalize sports betting, said eliminating those bets is not something the legislature will consider during the upcoming session that starts in April.
Sen. Jim Perry (R-Lenoir), who also supported sports betting, said, “It would be more productive to introduce legislation banning the NCAA.”
Baker says the NCAA will reach out to lawmakers in states like North Carolina, urging them to ban prop bets. Rep. Saine said he has not heard directly from the NCAA about the issue.
Baker’s request comes amid March Madness. NC State, Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill all have advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in the men’s basketball tournament.
Robert Linnehan, who covers the industry for Sports Betting Dime, said he expects many states to heed Baker’s call but likely not North Carolina right away.
“This is definitely going to be the next big wave of regulation you see in the next coming months,” he said. “I don’t think (North Carolina is) going to make such a major revision this early in the process. That may be something that they address later on down the line.”
Van Denton, a spokesperson for the NC Education Lottery, said they also have not heard form the NCAA yet.
“If the Commission receives a request from the NCAA to prohibit college player prop bets, it will give such request due consideration as required by the sports betting statute,” said Denton in an email. “The roll-out of sports betting in North Carolina has been smooth and successful, in part, due to the careful and deliberate manner in which the Commission has approached its responsibilities. Part of that discipline has been to avoid prematurely signaling the content of proposed rules and/or other actions. As the Commission continues it rulemaking process, it intends to maintain that same posture.”
Sports betting numbers in NC
The NC Education Lottery gave an update Wednesday on how the rollout of mobile sports betting has gone.
On day one, the commission said there was $23.9 million in wagers placed, which includes promotional wagers offered by betting companies. There was $12.2 million paid in winnings, leaving $11 million in gross wagering revenue.
For the first week, the commission said there was $198.1 million in wagers placed. Players won $141.6 million, leaving $42.7 million in gross wagering revenue. The numbers are preliminary. North Carolina taxes gross gaming revenue at 18 percent. Unlike some other states, North Carolina does not allow betting operators to deduct promotions from their revenue.
Sterl Carpenter, who has overseen sports betting implementation for the NC Education Lottery, said in the first month he projects about $594 million in total wagers.
“So, by all accounts mobile sports betting in North Carolina is off to a strong start,” said Carpenter. “We in North Carolina used what others have done and we have learned from all of the other states.”
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