The start of March Madness coincides with the start of sports betting in North Carolina, with hundreds of millions of dollars in bets already placed. But the NCAA says widespread sports gambling threatens the integrity of the game and the safety of student-athletes.
What you need to know
- NCAA President Charlie Baker calls on states to ban college prop gambling
- Baker says prop bets jeopardize the integrity of competition and expose student-athletes to harassment
- There is no effort to ban prop betting in North Carolina.
- Baker's call comes amid gambling scandals at the college and professional levels.
“This week, we contacted state officials across the country that still allow these bets, joining Ohio, Vermont, Maryland and many others,” NCAA President Charlie Baker said in a statement. “We will be requesting that college prop bets be removed from all betting markets,” said NCAA President Charlie Baker. Statement regarding X. “While the NCAA has drawn boundaries around sports betting to protect student-athletes and protect the integrity of the game, issues across the country in recent days show there is more work to be done. ”
Baker is calling on states across the country to end college prop gambling.
Democratic Rep. Zach Hawkins, one of the lead sponsors of the bill to legalize sports betting, said efforts to ban prop gambling are not moving forward in North Carolina.
“We need to look at what's going on in the other states that are the trigger for this call because we haven't heard back yet,” Hawkins said.
Sports betting became legal in North Carolina on March 11, just in time for the ACC Men's Basketball Tournament and March Madness. More than $198 million was wagered in the first week of sports betting alone, and bettors won more than $141 million, according to a report from the North Carolina Lottery Commission.
Kevin Hennessy, vice president of communications for Fanatics Sportsbook, said most college sports bets are on basketball and football. He said women's basketball is another popular sport, with the tournament in full swing.
A prop or proposition bet is any type of bet on a part of a game or event that has nothing to do with the outcome. Prop bets are offered by most major sportsbooks and have become increasingly popular in recent years, as they can sometimes be combined into parlays.
Prop bets can be made on just about anything, including how many sacks a football team will get, how long the national anthem will be played, and how well a player will perform.
It's the last category of prop betting that concerns Baker.
“The problem of sports betting is on the rise across the country, and prop wagering continues to threaten the integrity of competition and lead to harassment of student-athletes,” Baker said.
Sports betting can lead to more fan investment, but it can also be detrimental to players.
“I think you can always do anything you can to increase awareness and buy-in, and I think that's great,” said Carter Hicks, director of player and program development for UNC Baseball. “Obviously there's a line that has to be walked as to what will and won't cross that line.”
Hicks said he and other coaches have spent a lot of time educating and supporting players since sports betting became legal in the state.
“They live in circles where people are betting, and if things don't happen the way they want, if we don't win the game, if someone's bet doesn't turn out the way they want it to, then I Our players are leaving.to hear about it'' Hicks said. “And sometimes that doesn't necessarily mean it's for the better.”
Baker's call to ban prop betting comes amid recent gambling controversies at both the college and professional levels.
Just this month, Temple was investigated by gambling watchdog US Integrity over suspicious gambling activity surrounding the men's basketball team. The study was conducted while the Owls were competing in the AAC Championship Game.
Last month, the NCAA handed former University of Alabama baseball coach Brad Bohannon a 15-year performance order that effectively bars him from working in college baseball for the next decade and a half. An NCAA investigation found that Bohannon provided inside information to bettors.
At the professional level, the NBA is investigating Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter for questionable prop bets based on statistics. According to ESPN, the league is investigating whether Porter placed the bet on himself or was involved with someone who placed the bet, the first time this has happened since sports betting began becoming popular six years ago. becomes.
