Just over a year into Ohio’s sports betting lifecycle, the state regulator announced that online sportsbooks will no longer accept prop bets on college athletes.
Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) Executive Director Matthew Schuler granted Gov. Mike Dewine and NCAA President Charlie Baker’s request to take all bets involving individual athletes off the board of available bets. The pair were concerned by the growth of harassment targeting student-athletes, match-fixing, problem gambling, and more.
The ban went into effect on Friday and will remain in place until the legislation is amended, if at all.
Taking action
The decision to prohibit prop bets in college sports came three weeks after Baker sent a letter to the OCCC. Ohio now joins a list of 25 states (of the 38 that offer legal sports betting) that do not allow bettors to place wagers that target individual athletes at the collegiate level.
“[Friday’s] decision by the Ohio Casino Control Commission to prohibit player-specific prop bets on collegiate competitions marks a significant step in the protection of student-athlete well-being and game integrity,” Baker said in a statement. “I thank The Commission for recognizing the serious threats posed by prop bets and implementing controls to help safeguard student-athlete mental health from the risks of sports betting harassment and abuse.”
The OCCC had already received word of numerous threats made toward student-athletes since Ohio online sportsbooks launched on Jan. 1, 2023. There’s also an ever-present threat of intentional manipulation by the athletes, as several in other states have been found guilty of betting on games they participated in.
“I have determined that good cause supports the NCAA’s request to prohibit player-specific prop bets on intercollegiate athletics competitions because the NCAA’s request will safeguard the integrity of sports gaming and will be in the best interests of the public,” Schuler said after the decision.
The prop bet prohibition extends to team props that depend heavily (more than 50%) on an individual’s performance.
Read: Study Finds Two-Thirds of Super Bowl Bets Were Placed Illegally
Examples include Ohio State University to gain 100+ rushing yards, which hinges largely on the performance of the starting running back, or OSU to throw 10+ strikeouts in a game, which would likely have at least 50% influence by the starting pitcher.
Rebuttal from sportsbooks
College prop betting was not a huge market in Ohio during its first year of operation. Of the $7.65 billion worth of bets on college sports, just under $105 million—roughly 1.3% of the handle—targeted player props.
Despite that, eight sportsbooks sent letters to the OCCC following their decision. They argued that they can punish or report incidents in which customers harass student-athletes, and that closing the market would just force bettors to frequent illegal platforms.
Schuler was not moved by the letters, stating the operators “[did not] provide any factual basis to support [their] assumption[s].”
He also said that there is no data to suggest that customers will leave the legal market just to find college player prop bets, which were an insignificant part of the market even when they were legal.
Read: FAU Director Says Online Sports Betting Will Grow Sports Industry
Ohio passed a law in 2023 that opened the possibility of a lifetime ban for any bettor found guilty of threatening athletes. Several players and coaches, including Dayton men’s basketball coach Anthony Grant, have spoken out about the increase in harassment they faced ever since the sports betting market launched last year.