New Jersey Lawmakers Advance College Player Prop Betting Ban

A costs that would prohibit college player props at sportsbooks in New Jersey is acquiring traction in the legislature.


The New Jersey Assembly's tourism, gaming, and arts committee voted Thursday to launch A4905, advancing the legislation and moving it closer to passage in Trenton.


A4905 - and its twin in the New Jersey Senate, S3080 - would prohibit sportsbooks from offering or accepting "any wager on a player-specific proposal bet on any collegiate sport or athletic occasion."


Simply put, there would disappear college player props for Garden State punters at locally regulated sportsbooks if the expense ends up being law.


While New Jersey sports betting guidelines restrict wagering on in-state college groups, they allow banking on college player props, a minimum of in the meantime.


"As one of the very first states to legalize sports gambling, I believe that it is our duty to make sure that we set the very best example we possibly can for all others who wish to follow our lead," stated Democratic Assemblyman Sterley Stanley, A4905's sponsor, in a statement following the committee vote. "Even as a staunch fan of the sports wagering industry, I believe it is incumbent upon us to recognize the incredible pressures that college professional athletes face between their scholastic and athletic responsibilities. My legislation guarantees that they do not have actually those pressures compounded by problem gamblers that have actually pertained to bug our college professional athletes when gamblers lose cash on college player proposal bets."


Be 'reasonable'


If New Jersey were to prohibit college player props, it would continue the recent pattern of states kiboshing those wagering markets over concerns of and abuse, among other things.


The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and its president, previous Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker, have been lobbying states for prop restrictions with those concerns in mind. The NCAA supports A4905.


"Sports betting is on the increase, and with it, so is the danger for college athletes, and there is no concern they are getting bugged by bettors," Austin Meo, the assistant director of government relations for the NCAA, told the Assembly committee on Thursday. "That threatens the integrity of the video game, and it threatens the wellness of college professional athletes everywhere."


Meo stated that 20 states allow college gamer props in some type. However, he likewise noted that at the start of 2024, there were 24 states, before Ohio, Maryland, Vermont, and Louisiana moved this year to limit those betting markets.


"Taking a reasonable action that half the states with sports wagering have required to forbid prop bets is something New Jersey can do to help react to this serious problem," Meo stated.


Highway to 'hell'


There is no warranty New Jersey will go through with a college gamer prop ban, although current history recommends there is an opportunity. Nevertheless, A4905 and S3080 will face opposition from certified sportsbook operators and other interested parties in the Garden State, among the most mature markets for legal sports wagering in the U.S.


Lobbyist Bill Pascrell, of Princeton Public Affairs Group, informed the Assembly committee on Thursday that there is "no proof or favorable details" from the concerned celebrations that enabling prop bets makes players more vulnerable than permitting wagering on college teams.


Pascrell said prohibiting college gamer props will shift that action to unlawful and overseas sportsbooks, even if that action is a reasonably small percentage of all sports betting.


"The states do not have the long arm of the law to reach the black market," Pascrell said in opposing the expense. "This guarantees that folks that wager this kind of prop bet, and it's a little segment of the industry, around 2 to 4%, will simply go to the black market. And we don't see any evidence favorable that by using this bet, we're making folks more susceptible, due to the fact that the bet will just move to the black market."


Pascrell stated New Jersey's ban on in-state college wagering pushed banking on those schools in basketball competitions to the black market or sportsbooks in close-by states.


"I understand this bill has the best of intents, but I believe in some cases the road to hell is paved by the finest of intents, and I believe we need to reconsider this issue, since I'm worried about the explosion of the black market and this will assist those in the black market," Pascrell informed the committee.


College gamer prop wagering is finished in Ohio as of March 1. Matthew Schuler, executive director of the Ohio Casino Control Commission, revealed today he authorized the NCAA's request to ban such betting. Any remaining futures must be voided by next Friday.