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Read Full BioA bill in New Jersey that proposes to ban all prop bets on college sports was unanimously approved in the Senate last week.
Sen. Kristin M. Corrado’s bill, S3080, passed unanimously with a 5-0 vote in the Senate’s State Government, Wagering, Tourism and Historic Preservation Committee on Thursday.
The bill proposes to prevent any sportsbook from accepting wagers on prop bets involving college teams across all sports.
The terms of the bill state, “A sports wagering licensee shall not offer or accept any wager on a player-specific proposition bet on any collegiate sport or athletic event.”
Ban On Prop Bets To Protect College Athletes
Corrado stated that the purpose of the bill is to protect the growing amount of abuse that college athletes receive on social media from disgruntled gamblers.
The Senator stated, “Proposition bets have led to a rise in the harassment of student-athletes and have threatened the integrity of college sports.”
“I have heard about many individuals who have been the victim of online harassment because they didn’t perform to the expectation of a bettor who made a side wager.
This legislation will ban player-specific prop betting in New Jersey, which will help curb that appalling behavior, and make college athletic events safer for all participants.”
Earlier this year, the NCAA launched a campaign against the rise of bettors taking out frustrations on athletes.
The campaign, titled “Don’t Be A Loser,” was launched after it was revealed that up to 1 in 3 student-athletes in high-profile sports receive harassment.
The campaign ran with the tagline: “Only a loser would harass college athletes after losing a bet.”
A study across 3,100+ athletes during major events uncovered that 12% of abuse is by “angry sports bettors”. Additionally, women received 59% more abuse than men.
Target Abusers Not Betting Rules, Say Opponents
Bill Pascrell III, Esq., partner at Princeton Public Affairs Group, spoke on behalf of the state’s sports betting operators at the committee hearing.
Pascrell III commented that authorities should be focusing on the abusers, rather than making roundabout rules to try to reduce the abuse.
He said the bill could have many unintended consequences, and: “As an alternative, and to be succinct, we should be increasing penalties for those who harass student athletes. Period. Full stop.”
Prop Betting Rife For Corruption
As well as players incurring the wrath of angry gamblers upon losing prop bets, the markets also tempt college players into defying NCAA betting rules. The NCAA prohibits college players from placing bets of any kind on college or pro sports.
Earlier this year, Jalen Weaver was dismissed from the Fresno State Bulldogs for placing a $50 bet on himself to score over 11 points in a match. Weaver scored 13, indicating that the bet may have motivated him positively.
However, in the same scandal, teammate Mykell Robinson allegedly placed bets on the under for his points and rebounds prop lines.
Former NBA player Jontay Porter is also facing a potential lengthy prison sentence for feigning injury to reduce his playing time in matches, which guaranteed the unders line was a winning bet for a gambling ring.
Porter actively communicated his injury status during matches and pleaded guilty to federal wire-fraud conspiracy charges. He has also been banned for life from the NBA.
Another basketball betting scandal was uncovered in the UK last week, with six players from the Surrey Scorchers sanctioned.
A prop ban in New Jersey may go some way to reducing the impact of betting on college and basketball matches, but as the Porter and UK scandals show, the problem goes far beyond the NCAA in New Jersey.
The bill will now move forward in the Senate, and if approved in a full vote, will proceed to the Assembly before being sent to the Governor for approval.
