The popularity and growth of sports betting in New Jersey attract all kinds of attention. Including, it seems, that of a North Jersey lawmaker who wants to ban certain prop bets on college athletics.
State Sen. Kristin Corrado, R-Passaic, is sponsoring S-3080, a bill that would “prohibit sports wagering licensees from offering player-specific proposition bets on college sports.”
Corrado says the bill protects student-athletes from being harassed by disgruntled sports gamblers.
Details of Senator’s college prop bet ban bill?
Corrado’s bill defines a proposition bet as “a side wager on a part of a sport or athletic event that does not concern the final outcome.”
A news release detailing her proposal says player-specific proposition bets include such wagers as the particular statistical performance lines of certain players or which player will score first.
New Jersey already prohibits sports wagers involving in-state colleges and universities, including prop bets. Corrado’s legislation would expand that prop bet prohibition to include any college or university.
Corrado: Prop betting leads to rise in harassment of athletes
Corrado says prop bets are leading to a “rise in the harassment of student-athletes.” She also claims that prop bets threaten the “integrity of college sports.”
“I have heard about many individuals who have been the victim of online harassment because they didn’t perform to the expectation of a bettor who made a side wager,” Corrado said in a prepared statement.
“This legislation will ban player-specific prop betting in New Jersey, which will help curb that appalling behavior, and make college athletic events safer for all participants.”
A handful of college athletes have reported being verbally abused or harassed in the years since the US Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in 2018. The PASPA decision led to the widespread legalization of sports gambling across the country.
It should be noted that there is no evidence to support the senator’s claim that prop bets are the cause of widespread student-athlete harassment.
NJ sports betting regulations ahead of the curve
Twenty-five states (including NJ) and Washington DC have banned specific college prop bets.
For example, both New York and Pennsylvania prohibit any type of college prop bets. In 2024, Ohio, Maryland and Louisana enacted college prop bet bans.
Sportsbooks in New Jersey sit among the most highly regulated of any legal jurisdiction in the US.
New Jersey is the only state currently requiring online operators to monitor players’ behavior for abnormal betting behaviors. It also stands as the only state with a full-time dedicated statewide responsible gaming coordinator.
