Being able to bet on how many touchdowns your favorite college quarterback throws for, or the number of points a star point guard scores, is causing major problems for college athletes, NCAA president Charlie Baker said Tuesday.
“There’s no doubt that the rise in sports betting has impacted the NCAA and its student athletes in a significant way,” Baker told the Senate Judiciary Committee. “But none of the consequences are as challenging as the harassment and coercion student athletes are experiencing.”
Prop bets that allow wagers on individual athletes’ performances have led to a dramatic spike in online and in-person threats against players, Baker said. Even athletes on winning teams are getting threatened when fans lose money wagering of certain stats.
“In a victory over Michigan State during last year's NCAA men's basketball tournament, North Carolina star Armando Bacot had a great game, scoring 18 points, seven rebounds. But he didn't have enough rebounds to make a certain gambler's best payoff,” Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., said. “Bacot reported receiving over 100 messages from gamblers after the game berating him because they lost their bets.”
RELATED STORY | The Rise Of Sports Gambling
The hearing was part of an effort by congress to examine the impact of legalized sports betting. The sports betting industry has exploded since 2018 when the Supreme Court paved the way for states to adopt betting with minimal oversight from the federal government.
“It is clear gambling problems have grown over the last six years, especially among young, online male sports bettors,” Keith Whyte of the National Council on Problem Gambling, said in his testimony.
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., has introduced legislation that would put federal guardrails on sports betting. It would require states to get approval the Department of Justice, ban prop bets on college athletes and limit advertising for betting platforms and promotional offers.
“The normalization of gambling, which is a known addictive product and making a part of sports is, one of the most long-term problematic aspects of this,” Harry Levant, a gambling counselor, said.
The gambling industry has resisted calls for more federal more oversight, arguing states and local jurisdictions are better suited to govern and implement betting. And there has been only limited appetite on Capitol Hill for new legislation.
Thirty eight states and the District of Columbia have approved sports betting, with the list expected to grow in 2025. Baker says 19 of those currently allow prop betting on college sports.
