College Prop Bet May Be Banned in Michigan After NCAA President’s Plea

Prop bets have emerged as a new front in Michigan’s gambling industry. Recently, NCAA President Charlie Baker requested that college prop bets should be outlawed by states. The president indicated that the wellbeing of coaches and athletes is the primary motivation for this request.

Michigan happens to be one of the five states where prop betting on college sport players is allowed. Following the NCAA President’s request, the Michigan Gaming Control Board has indicated that it is reviewing the request in order to decide between a total ban or more restrictions. Whatever decision is made, the options that Michigan online sportsbooks offer will decline.

NCAA President Charlie Baker has drawn attention to prop bets, particularly its effect on athletes, trainers and the competition as a whole. Baker, in a social media release, indicated that prop bets “threaten the integrity of competitions” and often result in the harassment of “student-athletes and professional athletes”. 

This statement is coming on the heels of the Sweet 16 and Elite 8 of the college basketball season. According to Baker, the NCAA is starting to see some results from its engagement with lawmakers and officials in states where college prop betting is still permitted. Some of these states are beginning to respond through bans. 

“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. The NCAA is drawing the line on sports betting to protect student-athletes and to protect the integrity of the game — issues across the country these last several days show there is more work to be done.” 

The Great Lakes State happens to be one of multiple college prop betting markets in the United States. College prop betting is largely unrestricted in the state.

The NCAA’s campaign has not escaped the attention of the MGCB although it is not clear if the leadership of NCAA has reached out to the agency yet. Change is unavoidable as long as prop betting is subject to severe scrutiny at the professional and collegiate levels.

Prop bets, which stand for proposition bets in short, let players place wagers on player statistics that they will accrue during a game as opposed to the outcome of the score. College athletes who engage in this type of betting face severe consequences since player props cause them to be harassed.

The MGCB’s Public Information Officer Lisa Keith hinted that changes may be coming to the state. While Michigan allows college prop betting, it was not always so.

When sports betting was legalized in 2020, NCAA player prop bets were not allowed until changes were made in 2021. Yet, some forms of prop remained illegal in Michigan, such as betting on player injuries and suspensions.

The MGCB is, however, in the process of reviewing the issues being raised even as other states, such as Ohio, banned college prop betting.

Last year, the gaming regulator altered some of its rules to prevent daily fantasy operators from proposition selection. The development arose after bookmakers like DraftKings and FanDuel Sportsbook MI accused fantasy operators of offering illegal prop bets.

Whatever the plans of the Michigan Gaming Control Board for its probable review of props betting may be, it will most likely happen after March Madness. Until then, the status quo remains.

At the moment, Michiganders have access to multiple prop betting options for Sweet 16 matchups. Through DraftKings Sportsbook MI, bettors have access to points, threes, rebounds, combos, assists and defense markets.

In the coming days, we will know more as events unfold.