Following the federal indictments today involving basketball integrity issues, the NCAA reiterates our deep concerns about the dangers collegiate sports betting poses to the health, safety and well-being of over 550,000 student-athletes and to the integrity of NCAA competitions. To better protect student-athletes, game officials and competitions, state laws and regulations must be amended to remove the types of bets we know are being manipulated.
The NCAA enforcement staff has opened investigations into potential game manipulation by approximately 40 student-athletes across 20 schools over the past year. Many of these cases involve wagering on individual prop bets and first half under spread markets. While some cases remain under review, 11 student-athletes from seven schools have already been found to have bet on their own performances, shared information with known bettors, and/or engaged in game manipulation to collect on bets they - or others - placed.
Today, the federal government arrested more than a dozen individuals on charges of similar conduct, several of whom the NCAA identified through its own investigations. In light of these developments, in addition to the conduct the NCAA has uncovered and continues to investigate, the NCAA reiterates its request that state laws and regulations be amended to better protect student-athletes, game officials and the integrity of NCAA competitions.
Specifically, we propose that state laws and regulations be amended to include stricter accountability for bettors found to have harassed student-athletes and to provide mechanisms for the NCAA and other leagues to have a formal "seat at the table" with gaming regulators and operators before certain types of bets are offered.
One issue that deeply troubles the NCAA is betting markets centering around many aspects of a student-athlete's individual athletic performance, otherwise known as player prop bets. While these types of bets are prohibited in some states with legalized sports betting, they are still offered in a majority of jurisdictions. The NCAA national office regularly hears concerns from schools and student-athletes across the country on the impacts of sports betting. Those schools and student-athletes cite issues surrounding player prop bets, including instances of harassment, competition integrity and other well-being concerns.Â
We believe the following factors necessitate immediate restrictions on these wagers:
- Harassment: The NCAA has seen a significant increase in reports of student-athletes being harassed by bettors. For example, in real-time data collected through NCAA surveys, 36% of Division I men's basketball players report receiving harassment from someone with a betting interest. Player prop bets attach an individual student-athlete's name to a bet and therefore increase the likelihood of betting harassment being targeted toward that student-athlete.
- Solicitation of insider information: Player prop bets increase the risk of insider information being solicited and/or leveraged to manipulate betting markets. Student-athletes, unlike professional athletes, are far more accessible to other students and members of the public.Â
- Spot-fixing: As demonstrated by today's law enforcement and recent NCAA activities, player prop bets may entice student-athletes into engaging in sports betting by betting on themselves to outperform a player prop bet related to their own game performance. The prop bets also increase the risk of "spot fixing," or would-be match fixers targeting student-athletes and other sporting participants to fix a portion of a contest - for instance, first half under spreads -spead markets without having to fix the whole contest.
In addition to player prop bets, certain game prop markets such as first half under spreads should be banned. Across collegiate and professional sports, it's been demonstrated that these markets are being targeted for manipulation, and certain betting operators have opted in to excluding these for certain leagues they have commercial deals with. The NCAA does not have such deals with operators. Gaming commissions should perform a comprehensive review of game prop markets and eliminate those that carry the highest risk for manipulation.
In addition to these compelling reasons related to intercollegiate athletics, gambling generally — and sports betting specifically — has been shown to be more addictive for college-aged individuals,1 and player prop bets offer a mechanism for college students to engage in "micro-betting," a more repetitive — and therefore more addictive — form of sports betting. The NCAA is working hard to support members schools with providing educational resources about the harms that sports betting can pose, but student-athletes,  who are not permitted to bet on sports, are surrounded every day by peers on campus who may be betting on their competitions and soliciting information to inform those bets. This is another reason why we implemented mandatory player availability reporting for the upcoming men's and women's basketball championships, to help alleviate pressures student-athletes receive to provide sensitive information.
More than half of the 39 states with legalized sports betting and Washington, D.C., allow individual college prop bets in some capacity. However, there has been momentum in a positive direction. Since 2024, four gaming commissions (Louisiana, Maryland, Ohio and Vermont) have banned individual college athlete prop bets. In 2026, two state legislatures are actively considering bills that would codify college prop bet bans, with more expected in the coming months.
We appreciate your attention to this matter and know you are dedicated to a responsibly regulated marketplace in your state. We welcome an opportunity to revisit these discussions and explore potential preventive measures with you and your team soon.
Sincerely,
Charlie Baker
NCAA President
