OHIO, USA — The Ohio Casino Control Commission approved a request to remove college prop bets from the list of legal bets that can be placed in the state.
Prop bets are when someone is betting on a player's individual performance rather than the team, such as a football player scoring a touchdown or a basketball player scoring a set number of points.
The decision on Friday comes after the NCAA and Gov. Mike DeWine expressed concerns that student-athletes are getting harassed by sports bettors.
“I have determined that good cause supports the NCAA’s request to prohibit player-specific prop bets on intercollegiate athletics competitions because the NCAA’s request will safeguard the integrity of sports gaming and will be in the best interest of the public,” OCCC Executive Director Matt Schuler said in a statement.
Earlier this month, the NCAA sent a letter to the commission expressing its position on the issue.
“The data is clear that student-athletes are getting harassed by bettors. Sports betting without appropriate controls poses real risks to the well-being of student-athletes and to the integrity of collegiate competition – risks which are heightened by individual prop bets,” said NCAA President Charlie Baker.
Gov. DeWine supported the effort to remove prop bets, stating that some people have made threats against student-athletes in Ohio and across the country.
“The Ohio Casino Control Commission took quick action to protect student athletes from unnecessary and potentially harmful threats,” said DeWine. “Amending rules to focus bets on the team and away from individual athlete will improve the marketplace in Ohio and properly focus betting attention on the teams and away from individual student athletes."
Operators have until March 1 to implement the new restrictions and void all impacted wagers.
Bettors will still be permitted to place bets on overall outcomes and final scores of collegiate sports contests, including outright winners, over/unders and bets against the spread.
Sports betting became legal in January 2023. The OCCC reported Ohioans wagered more than $7.6 billion last year.
The rule change will not impact professional sports contests.