A legislative effort in New Jersey to prohibit player-specific proposition bets on college sports has advanced, signaling a growing national movement aimed at protecting student-athletes from gambling-related harassment. Senate Bill S-3080 has successfully cleared a key Senate committee and will now proceed to the full Senate for further deliberation.

The proposed law, sponsored by Senator Kristin Corrado, would bar licensed sportsbooks in New Jersey from accepting any wagers on the performance of individual athletes in collegiate events. This specifically includes common prop bets such as the number of points a player scores, rebounds tallied, or predictions about which athlete scores first in a game. These types of wagers, which do not pertain to the overall result of a contest, have become increasingly popular on online and retail sports betting platforms.

However, Senator Corrado cited a precipitous rise in harassment directed at college athletes as a central motivation behind this legislation. She argued that the surge in online prop betting has led disgruntled bettors to target individual student-athletes with abusive messages and threats when their betting expectations are not met. Senator Corrado believes that the integrity of college sports and the well-being of student-athletes are being compromised by the current regulatory environment. The bill defines a prop bet as a wager on any element of a sporting event that does not involve the final outcome. While prop bets are often considered a creative and engaging aspect of sports gambling, they present a particular vulnerability when applied to amateur athletes, who typically do not receive the same protections or salaries afforded to professionals.

Anti-Prop Bet Sentiment on the Rise Nationally

New Jersey, one of the most mature sports betting markets in the US, is joining a growing list of states-and even a federal initiative-seeking to curb certain betting practices in the college sports arena. Several states have already implemented restrictions or outright bans on player-specific prop bets involving college athletics.

Ohio was among the first to act. In March last year (2024), the Ohio Casino Control Commission approved a rule change banning sportsbooks from offering player-specific prop bets on NCAA games. This move followed pressure from local universities and NCAA officials, citing multiple reports of student-athletes being targeted online after underperforming relative to betting expectations. Around the same time, Maryland followed suit. The Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Commission announced a similar prohibition, citing the need to protect student welfare and uphold the ethical standards of amateur athletics. Louisiana and Vermont enacted comparable restrictions in 2024 through their respective gaming regulators, each issuing a directive to licensed sportsbooks to immediately suspend all player-specific prop bets on college games. As regulated betting becomes more ubiquitous across the US, concerns over the social and ethical consequences of player-targeted wagering have grown more pronounced.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has also taken an increasingly active role in this debate. It has been urging states to adopt stronger protections for student-athletes and calling attention to the crucial distinction between betting on team outcomes versus individual performances. NCAA President Charlie Baker, in a March 2024 statement, stressed that “Sports betting issues are on the rise across the country with prop bets continuing to threaten the integrity and competition and leading to student-athletes and professional athletes getting harassed.” Baker added that the NCAA has been working with states to deal with these threats, and many are responding by banning college prop bets. Cases of online abuse have become more public, with athletes like former North Carolina basketball star Armando Bacot stating he received direct messages on social media from disgruntled bettors when he didn’t reach specific statistical totals in games. Similarly, former Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne reportedly had bettors requesting financial retribution on his Venmo account last year.

While some operators argue that prop bets drive user engagement and offer diversified revenue streams, critics consistently counter that the risks associated with student safety and fair competition far outweigh any potential benefits. The challenge for regulators remains balancing innovation in sports wagering with pragmatic safeguards that limit harm.

Should New Jersey’s S-3080 become law, it would mark a significant policy shift for a state that helped pioneer legalised sports betting in the US following the 2018 Supreme Court decision to overturn PASPA. As one of the largest betting markets in the country, New Jersey’s legislative actions often serve as a model for other states, potentially accelerating a national trend towards similar restrictions on college prop bets.