NCAA President Charlie Baker and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (R) both believe that licensed bookmakers shouldn't accept props from collegiate athletes.

The NCAA asked the Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC), the state gaming authority, to change its sports betting regulations to forbid player props involving collegiate athletes in late January. According to the foundation that oversees athletics at more than 1,000 colleges and universities, student-athlete safety is at risk because to collegiate player props.

DeWine agreed in a statement released on Friday.

"One year into sports gambling in Ohio, we have seen a marketplace develop where a number of bad actors have engaged in unacceptable behavior by making threats against student-athletes in Ohio and across the country,” DeWine wrote. “By amending rules to focus bets on the team and away from individual athletes, I believe we can improve the marketplace in Ohio and better protect student-athletes from unnecessary and potentially harmful threats.”

"Sports betting without appropriate controls poses real risks to the well-being of student-athletes and the integrity of collegiate competition," Baker said in a letter dated January 31 to the OCCC, which oversees casino sportsbooks and their third-party online sportsbook platforms. Baker clarified that particular player props increase those hazards.

Comments from Regulator Fielding

The letters from Baker and DeWine supporting the amendment of the state's allowable Event and Wager Catalogue were accepted by the OCCC. The regulator stated that until February 12, it would welcome feedback on the matter from its authorized sportsbooks.

On January 1, 2023, the Buckeye State legalized sports betting. With a hold rate of about 12%, oddsmakers retained $937 million of the more than $7.65 billion in wagers they received during the year. How much of the handle and gross revenues kept by the books came from collegiate athlete props is not stated in the state's sports gaming revenue report.

Professional sports are not covered by DeWine and Baker's sponsorship; only collegiate sports are. Both guys said that university representatives had informed them about how bettors were using social media to "harass" collegiate athletes.

In light of increased sports gambling, Baker emphasized the significance of student-athlete safety in his January "State of College Sports" address. In order to investigate, identify, and address online abuse and threats against athletes, coaches, and officials, Baker revealed that the NCAA had contracted with the Signify Group and their Threat Matrix program.

Legal sports betting is accepted by the NCAA as long as it doesn't compromise the integrity of the sports it approves. According to Baker and NCAA officials, player props give bad actors the opportunity to rig a game or intimidate, harass, or attack a player who doesn't perform as they would want.

Legality of College Player Prop

Sports betting is permitted in almost 40 states, and almost all of them permit wagers on collegiate athletics. Several states still permit college player props in spite of the NCAA's strong resistance.

States that allow college player props include Kansas, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, and Wyoming in addition to Ohio. Sportsbooks in Washington, D.C., can also help with collegiate athlete props.

Props featuring college players are also permitted in Connecticut, Illinois, Iowa, New Jersey, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island, provided that the players shown in the prop are not affiliated with any of those states' universities.