New Jersey is considering a ban on prop bets tied to college athletes’ performances due to increasing harassment from angry bettors.
The state, which pioneered legal sports gambling when Governor Phil Murphy signed Assembly Bill 4111 in June 2018, is now contemplating this ban following several incidents where college athletes faced harassment when their performances didn’t meet bettors’ expectations.
For example, Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne received messages from bettors demanding Venmo refunds after a poor game in September. Similarly, North Carolina’s Armando Bacot was inundated with over 100 direct messages from frustrated gamblers in March after failing to secure enough rebounds.
Officials argue that student-athletes are more vulnerable to this type of pressure and harassment because they are more accessible to the general student body, living, dining, and attending classes alongside other students, unlike professional athletes who are often more isolated.
In response, New Jersey is considering legislation that would ban “prop bets” involving individual college athletes’ stats, such as the number of touchdowns thrown by quarterbacks, the total yards accumulated by running backs, or the number of rebounds collected by basketball players.
“Not all of the outcomes from the legalization of sports betting have been positive,” said state Sen. Kristin Corrado. Austin Mayo, assistant director of government relations for the NCAA, noted that one in three college athletes involved in heavily bet-on sports report experiencing harassment from gamblers.
However, not everyone agrees with the proposed ban or the harassment statistics. Bill Pascrell III, a lobbyist for the sports betting industry, contends that college prop bets make up only a small fraction (around 2% to 4%) of legal sports betting. He also warned that banning these bets could push bettors to the black market, which is harder to regulate.
“When we ban any type of bet, particularly those that had been legalized, we’re pushing the bettor to the black market,” Pascrell argued.
Currently, the Garden State allows bets on college games but prohibits betting on in-state teams or out-of-state teams playing within its borders. The proposed bill has been approved by an Assembly committee and is awaiting approval from both legislative chambers and Governor Phil Murphy before becoming law.
If passed, the bill would make New Jersey the 14th state to outlaw prop bets on college athletes, joining Ohio, Maryland, Vermont, Louisiana, Arizona, Colorado, Massachusetts, Oregon, New York, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
New Jersey’s landmark 2018 Supreme Court case paved the way for legal sports betting in the U.S., with 38 states having since legalized it. Missouri is expected to follow soon.
Meanwhile, the state’s online gambling industry is flourishing. However, authorities remain concerned about the impact of online casinos on the overall economy and social health.
