US Representative Michael Baumgartner filed HR 1552, a proposed federal bill to prohibit wagers on individual college athletes’ performances. The measure would treat violations as breaches of the Federal Trade Commission Act; it would not ban betting on college sports games generally.
If enacted, the bill would prohibit wagers on individual college athletes’ performances but not college games generally.
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The NCAA asked the Missouri Gaming Commission to prohibit individual player props on college sports. President Charlie Baker sent the request to executive director Michael Leara, citing risks to student-athletes and competition integrity; the commission was asked to amend its rules.
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.
Washington lawmakers approved Senate Bill 6137 and sent it to Governor Jay Inslee for consideration, according to the report. The proposed measure would prohibit wagers on individual performances by athletes at Washington colleges, as well as bets on coaching decisions, officiating calls and other game-management decisions involving Washington schools. It would also prohibit insider betting, bribery and attempts to influence games through financial incentives, and criminalise wager-related threats or harassment.
US lawmakers and regulators are increasingly focusing on player prop betting and bettor misconduct. The report said 15 states had banned college prop betting. It also cited a March 2026 NCAA survey in which one in three men’s basketball players reported betting-related abuse.
State lawmakers and regulators in the United States are increasingly focusing on player proposition bets and on misconduct by bettors, as the NCAA warns that harassment of college athletes linked to sports betting has become an urgent problem. Fifteen states have banned college prop betting, according to the report, and some states are passing legislation aimed at bettors who harass athletes.
The Big Ten Conference Student-Athlete Issues Commission urged the NCAA to limit or prohibit proposition bets on individual college athletes, citing harassment, mental health and competition-integrity concerns. The commission’s letter was signed by representatives of 19 universities; the NCAA has also asked the CFTC to pause college sports offerings in prediction markets pending safeguards.