*Editor’s note: The views expressed in this are of the writer and not RMU Sentry Media as a whole
Sports betting in the United States was scarce before 2018 because Nevada was the only state allowed to provide sports betting. The Supreme Court struck down a 1992 federal law prohibiting states from allowing sports betting. The Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) which led to the explosion of sports betting.
Now, in 2025 betting is ingrained in sports as teams and players have partnerships with betting apps. I’d personally call it a betting epidemic because it’s legalized in 38 states, the District Of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
Sports betting is a threat to the integrity of sports and if we take a look back on history and recent events, it shows that the integrity of sports could be under siege. From the 1979 Boston College point-shaving scandal to Jontay Porter’s betting scandal, we are seeing tons of scandals just because of betting.
I feel like prop bets on college players do more harm than good and that creates a lane for harassment. These players are also vulnerable as they can be easily manipulated and influenced which could be a huge concern.
Prop bets are already an issue at the professional level, but these issues have been trickling down to the collegiate level. Recently this has been seen with NCAA basketball players receiving hate messages because they didn’t fulfill a bet.
Hunter Dickinson, a forward from the Kansas Jayhawks, recently expressed his displeasure for college prop bets.
Dickinson stated, “If they got rid of college props, for college players, I feel like that would eliminate probably 60-70% of DMs I get.”
This has just happened to Dickinson but it’s happening to college athletes all over the country. These messages usually come from bettors and trolls all over social media.
To combat this Congress needs to get involved for the best interest of student athletes. History will continue to repeat itself and this harassment could lead to a decline of athletes mental health. This also goes back to my point of prop betting doing more harm than good.
NCAA President Charlie Baker has been vocal about this issue and has even pushed Congress to try and make a change which seems to be gaining traction.
Baker stated, “Many have received death threats from bettors, and they also receive other in person threats and accusations directed at them while leaving or coming onto the field of play.”
According to the Public Gaming Research Institute, a new bill has been introduced to ban prop bets on college athletes. Congressman Michael Baumgartner introduced H.R. 1552, the Providing Responsible Oversight and Transparency and Ensuring Collegiate Trust Student Athletes Act (PROTECT Act).
Baumgartner stated, “Student athletes dedicate themselves to their sport and education, and it’s essential that we protect their integrity both on and off the field. This bill doesn’t ban betting on college sports games, but it targets wagers on student athletes’ individual performances.”
“We are witnessing a troubling rise in harassment of college athletes on campuses, as well as an alarming increase in cases of student athletes being coerced into throwing games for financial gain.”
This act must get passed by Congress to protect the integrity of college athletics and the players who participate in these sports. Student-athletes should be able to compete without feeling like they are under pressure because of wagering and prop bets.
The text of the bill is available here.
There’s nothing wrong with a bet here and there, but if it continues there will be more stories coming out about athlete harassment or even betting scandals. I feel like the ban on prop bets on college sports needs to become a reality.
