COLLEGE SPORTS BETTING
Prop Betting in College Sports: Predict the Unpredictable MORAL HAZARD OR AN IRRELEVANT DISTRACTION? PROTAGONISTS TAKE UP ENTRENCHED POSITIONS IN THE DEBATE ON PROP BETTING IN COLLEGE SPORTS. MEGAN CARRASCO AND HEIDI MCNEIL-STAUDENMAIER OUTLINE THE ARGUMENTS
Abstract Gambling has, and likely will always be controversial, but when students are involved, the stakes—both figuratively and literally—are higher. This may be one reason why the National Collegiate Athletic Association (“NCAA”) has been in the vanguard of attempts by US sports codes to block betting on their events. In this, we know, they have been unsuccessful but that hasn’t meant they have completely thrown in the towel. Their latest maneuver has seen them target one element of the sports betting market which they consider poses real dangers. Proposition or “prop” betting is the concept of betting on components of an activity unrelated to the ultimate outcome. Common examples include how many home runs a baseball
player will hit, how many yards a running back will get, or how many take downs a fighter will secure. As expected, when a person can wager on more aspects of a game, more money pours in. The seemingly innocuous idea of prop betting has caused considerable controversy in college sports. In April 2024, as the NCAA March Madness tournament concluded, the NCAA denounced states for allowing prop bets on college athletes. Two primary rationales have emerged: athlete safety and player integrity. This article analyzes the positions of various states, the policy landscape, and the current legal status of prop betting on college athletes heading into the 2024-2025 college sports season.
IMGL MAGAZINE | SEPTEMBER 2024
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