The Missouri Gaming Commission voted 3-0 on 22 January to reject the NCAA’s request to prohibit college-player prop wagers and first-half under-spread bets on college basketball. The commission said both wager types would remain permitted while it gathered more information and could reconsider the issue later.
Sportsbooks can continue offering the specified college wagers in Missouri while the commission reviews the issue.
The day’s most important stories, free. One email a day.
The NCAA asked state gambling regulators on 15 January to restrict individual college-athlete prop bets and certain game markets. The association cited integrity concerns following federal charges against 26 people in a basketball bribery and point-shaving scheme, and said its enforcement staff had opened investigations into 40 athletes at 20 schools over the past year.
The Big Ten Student-Athlete Issues Commission sent a letter to NCAA president Charlie Baker urging restrictions on prop betting involving college athletes, according to the report. Twenty-two athletes from 18 institutions signed the letter, which cited integrity concerns and online abuse. Baker has also called for sportsbooks to stop offering college prop markets.
New Jersey's Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee advanced Bill S-3080, which would bar licensed sportsbooks from accepting bets on individual college athletes' performances. Sponsor Kristin Corrado said the proposal responds to abusive messages and threats directed at student-athletes; the bill has not yet been enacted. The NCAA supports wider restrictions on college player prop bets.
Four North Carolina representatives filed House Bill 828 on 8 April, proposing to prohibit prop bets on college and Olympic sports. The bill would cover online sportsbooks and any future in-person venues, following a failed attempt to ban college prop bets the previous year; its sponsors cited concerns about harassment of student-athletes.
Missouri launched sports betting on Monday, allowing wagers on individual athlete performances except when they involve a Missouri college or university. The state’s programme sets aside at least $5 million annually for problem gambling services, the report said.