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"Sports betting issues are on the rise across
the country with prop bets continuing to threaten the integrity
of competition and leading to student-athletes and professional
athletes getting harassed," Baker said. "The NCAA has been
working with states to deal with these threats and many are
responding by banning college prop bets."
Last week, Cleveland Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff told
reporters he had been threatened by gamblers last season.
"They got my telephone number and were sending me crazy messages
about where I live and my kids and all that stuff," Bickerstaff
said. "So it is a dangerous game and a fine line that we're
walking for sure."
Indiana Pacers star Tyrese Haliburton said recently that
gamblers reach out to him directly on social media about prop
bets, which involve the performance of individual players and
not the team.
"To half the world, I'm just helping them make money on
DraftKings or whatever," he said. "I'm a prop."
And Baker said that isn't right.
"This week we will be contacting officials across the country in
states that still allow these bets and ask them to join Ohio,
Vermont, Maryland and many others and remove college prop bets
from all betting markets," Baker said. "The NCAA is drawing the
line on sports betting to protect student-athletes and to
protect the integrity of the game."
Wagering on college sports is a multi-billion industry. The
American Gaming Association issued its projection last week that
said Americans will legally bet $2.72 billion on the 2024 men's
and women's NCAA tournaments, equivalent to just 2.2 percent of
the total amount of money legally wagered on sports in the U.S.
in 2023.
--Field Level Media
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