March Madness has arrived, and with it, plenty of betting opportunities at Ohio sportsbooks. One specific bet type, however, won’t be available in the Buckeye State: player props.
Thanks to a new Ohio sports betting rule implemented last month, NCAA player prop betting won’t be available for March Madness or for any other college event going forward.
College player prop bets banned for March Madness — here’s why
Player prop bets are wagers placed on a specific player’s performance within a game or match. For example, a bet on one player to score over or under 24.5 points in a game. The targeted nature of these bets raised concerns in the NCAA and with Ohio regulators, leading to the eventual ban.
Ohio banned NCAA player props in late February, nixing the bet type from all college wagering markets across sportsbooks in the state. The Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) made this decision in response to the NCAA’s request to ban such bets, which included six key concerns. Chief among them was the ongoing harassment of players with regard to player props — including threats of violence toward players who haven’t performed as expected.
Other concerns included the well-being of student-athletes, the risk of market manipulation, and the potential for problem gambling.
Sportsbooks fought back on the ban, citing worries that bettors would visit offshore sportsbooks to place player prop bets instead. Other operators claimed their in-house harassment reporting tools were sufficient to curb the issues. But these arguments ultimately couldn’t win out against the overriding concern for college players.
Ohio sportsbooks still have plenty of March Madness betting options
Even though NCAA player prop betting isn’t available, there are still plenty of Ohio March Madness betting options to be had. Round one is in progress now, and Ohio sportsbooks are already taking bets. Popular wagers include moneylines, point spreads, and totals.
There are also game props, which remain legal in Ohio. Game props have to do with specific outcomes within the game rather than on player outcomes or on the game overall. Game props can include bets on a team’s first-half point total or which team will score the first point. They can even get more granular, offering wagers on whether the game will result in an odd or even score or whether or not there will be overtime.
Ohio schools in March Madness 2024
Two Ohio colleges made the Men’s NCAA Tournament this year. The Akron Zips earned a 14-seed placement in the Midwest region, quickly falling to the Creighton Blue Jays in round one.
The Dayton Flyers nabbed the West region’s 7-seed, narrowly defeating No. 10 Nevada in the first round. Dayton moves on to face No. 2 Arizona in the second round at 12:45 p.m. ET this Saturday.
The Women’s NCAA Tournament also welcomed two Ohio schools. No. 2 Ohio State easily took down Maine in round one and will advance to second-round play this Sunday. Meanwhile, Kent State squeaked into the women’s bracket as a 15 seed. They play No. 2 Notre Dame on Saturday.
