NCAA urges ban on college player prop bets and anti‑harassment measures

The NCAA urged New Jersey legislators to prohibit player prop bets on college athletes and to adopt stronger anti‑harassment measures, saying student athletes are uniquely vulnerable to online abuse and coercion tied to wagers.

Tim Buckley, senior vice president for external affairs at the NCAA, told the joint committee the organization supports Senate Bill 3080 and Assembly Bill A4905 to eliminate prop bets on college athletes and S3300 for specific anti‑harassment measures. Buckley cited NCAA surveys showing high betting rates among 18–22 year olds—between 60% and 67% in the cited sample—and said 41% of that cohort had bet on their school’s teams. He described monitoring that identified threats, harassment and coercion, and he recounted several recent public cases in which college players received abusive messages tied to betting outcomes.

"College athletes are just far more vulnerable to harassment and coercion than professionals," Buckley said, urging mandatory reporting mechanisms and penalties for harassment tied to betting. The NCAA argued that prohibiting player‑specific prop bets would reduce the incentives for coercive behavior and that several states have already limited such wagers without evidence of a thriving black market.

Lawmakers questioned whether a ban might push activity underground; Buckley said leading sportsbooks have cooperated in removing some problematic bets and that multiple states have enacted prohibitions without clear evidence of displacement to illegal markets. The committee asked for details and the NCAA offered to provide its monitoring reports and legislative language for consideration.

No vote was taken; the committee will consider the submitted testimony and follow up on the proposed bills.