Once again the NCAA finds itself at the center of a controversy and powerless to stop it. A point-shaving scandal in college basketball made national news this week as the federal government indicted 20 people in a scheme involving over three dozen players from 17 Division I basketball programs.
It's yet another black-eye for the world of sports betting, which has already been rocked by a similar scandal in the NBA. But while the college sports governing body cannot directly influence politics like it once could, they can still issue strongly-worded letters.
NCAA president Charlie Baker sent out a letter this week to all state gambling commissions calling for the banning of individual prop bets on player performances. Baker expressed deep concern on the number of student-athletes who are being harassed by gamblers over lost wagers on their performances in games.
“One issue that deeply troubles the NCAA is betting markets centering around many aspects of a student-athlete’s individual athletic performance, otherwise known as player prop bets,” Baker wrote. “While these types of bets are prohibited in some states with legalized sports betting, they are still offered in a majority of jurisdictions. The NCAA national office regularly hears concerns from schools and student-athletes across the country on the impacts of sports betting. Those schools and student-athletes cite issues surrounding player prop bets, including instances of harassment, competition integrity and other well-being concerns.”
Prop Betting
Prop bets are bets on player performances. Some books allow you to wager on how many points, rebounds, touchdowns, goals, saves and everything in between that an athlete might get during the game.
Obviously if a player overperforms or underperforms based on a gambler's wager, that gambler is probably going to be left fuming. Wagers like that are arguably the easiest to manipulate to boot.
Of the 39 states that have legalized sports gambling, 35 of them allow for individual prop bets.
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Sports gambling ranks among the fastest rising addictions in the United States, with a substantial rise in full-on addiction since the 2018 federal court ruling that gave control over sports gambling to the states.
The NCAA, having been de-fanged and de-clawed through countless court losses, can only wag their fingers at the state of things these days.