The NCAA is seeking for a ban on player prop bets

Little Rock, Arkansas – Although player prop bets have long been a problem on Capitol Hill, the NCAA claims that the problem is becoming worse.

The NCAA’s president, Charlie Baker, requested Tuesday that the US Congress impose a federal ban on player prop bets.

He asserts that the wagers “target the individual for harassment and are more easily manipulated, threatening competition and integrity.”

The president also mentioned the possibility of players experiencing harassment as a result of prop bets that are not honored. He brought up a well-known athlete who had lately experienced this kind of harassment.

“Armando Bacot, the player, was having what he considered to be a decent game when he received over 100 messages accusing him of not earning ‘enough rebounds’. There are stories like that everywhere,” Baker remarked.

West Virginia and North Carolina have entered the battle in favor of the NCAA.

The Saracen Casino and Resort and the Arkansas Gaming Commission have been considering prop bets, even though the state has not actively promoted them.

According to Saracen’s CMO, Carlton Saffa, they collaborate with a third party to stop the “harassment” to which the NCAA alludes.

It will be difficult for them to keep an eye out for these issues if Congress goes ahead with this restriction, he said.

“This is something that we can do and I think we can do better than they can — monitoring the games for integrity, and you remove our incentive to do it if you take the player props off the board,” Saffa stated.

Saffa added that prohibiting prop bets will encourage more people to engage in illegal gambling rather than alleviate any problems.

“The unintended consequence is you’re going to push all of that business into the shady offshore operators or to the bookies, and so we’re not ever really going to stop this,” Saffa stated.

Additionally, he points out that prohibiting prop bets by Congress won’t address the underlying issue.

“If there is an issue with players being bullied on the internet, then let’s address that directly and not let’s not invite all kinds of problems by taking bets that are being heavily scrutinized and just taking them off the board,” Saffa stated.

In a statement about prop bets, the Arkansas Gaming Commission also said that it is “tracking the player prop issue closely.”

“We are tracking the player prop issue closely. However, Arkansas’ sports books, offered by our three licensed casinos, are closely monitored in real-time by the state. In addition, these casinos watch trends and movements within sports wagering and can quickly pull an event off the board if they find concerning trends or action. This would include any concerning trends within player props. We have confidence in the job our casinos are doing and appreciate their commitment to compliance.” The Arkansas Gaming Commission said in a statement.

As of right now prop bets remain legal in Arkansas, but in this week’s meeting with Congress the NCAA President said he plans to go state to state pushing for this ban.