Ohio lawmakers decided in February to ban prop bets on college athletics, but three Republican senators from the Buckeye State have recently called for a repeal of this sports betting ban.
Those three lawmakers are Senators Jay Edwards, Jeff LaRe, and Cindy Abrams. They co-authored a testimony that was submitted to the Ohio Study Commission on the Future of Gaming. Within that report, they called for the repeal of Ohio’s college prop bet ban.
The three legislators’ testimony is not an official action, and lawmakers are not required to act on any idea proposed in a testimony. Additionally, many involved with Ohio sports betting will push back on a possible repeal. So, what are the odds that the ban could be repealed?
Ohio banned college prop bets in February; 3 senators want to repeal that decision
Ohio was among the first states to ban college prop bets. It did so in February of this year, quickly after the NCAA sent an official request to the Ohio Casino Control Commission on Jan. 31.
Because of its history, it is hard to imagine Ohio making a heel turn and repealing a ban.
Nevertheless, the trio of lawmakers still presented their argument in favor of college prop bets in the recent Study Commission report:
“In February of 2024, by request of the NCAA, the OCCC implemented a policy that banned proposition ‘prop’ betting on individual college athlete performances. While we understand the circumstances in which this decision was made, we believe it is one that was not needed. With the current landscape of collegiate athletics and NIL, players are now being paid to play (and perform) in certain sports. That is no different than any other professional sport (i.e., NFL, NBA, or MLB). And with professional sports, any individual can go on DraftKings or FanDuel to place a prop-bet on any athlete.
“We recommend that the OCCC’s policy be rescinded and prop- betting on college athletes be restored.”
Throughout the rest of the 350-page report, not a single other interested party offered support for college prop bets or argued for a ban appeal. That fact alone makes any attempt to repeal the ban a long shot.
If any official action is submitted later, many Ohio sports betting stakeholders will likely oppose repealing the college prop bet ban.
Ohio lawmakers originally banned college prop bets to protect student-athletes
When Ohio banned college prop bets earlier this year, it did so out of concern over student-athlete harassment and gambling exposure.
At the request of the NCAA, the efforts outlined six primary concerns:
- Harassment of student-athletes by bettors
- The mental health and general well-being of student-athletes
- Player-specific prop bets increase the risk of insider information being solicited to manipulate betting markets
- Player-specific prop bets will increase the risk of spot-fixing or match-fixers targeting student-athletes
- Player-specific prop bets offer college students, who are more prone to problem gambling, a mechanism for engaging in micro-betting
The proposal submitted by Edwards, LaRe, and Abrams does not address those issues. As a result, any proposal concerning a college prop bet ban repeal likely boasts minimal odds of approval.
5 Ohio colleges are in favor of upholding college prop betting ban
While no testimony spoke in favor of repealing the college prop bet ban, multiple stakeholders submitted testimony in favor of upholding Ohio’s current prop betting ban. One was a joint testimony co-authored by five Ohio colleges.
“On behalf of Denison University, Kenyon College, Oberlin College, Ohio Wesleyan University, and The College of Wooster, we are writing to express our strong support for the Ohio Casino Control Commission’s proposed ruling banning individual prop betting on collegiate athletics.
“Student-athletes should not be subjected to the pressures and exploitation that come with being the direct object of a billion-dollar sports betting industry. Yet the ease with which prop bets can be offered on Ohio’s students means that their individual performances are at risk of being commodified for commercial gambling interests… this undermines the fundamental purpose of athletics and threatens the well-being of student-athletes.”
Edwards, LaRe, and Abrams acknowledged that harassment is an unacceptable issue but still support the repeal of the ban.
“Reports of harassment and potential threats are unacceptable at any stage of athletics. Such acts should be investigated and prosecuted accordingly. But the response from the OCCC to simply ban prop-betting on individual collegiate athletes looks to solve the problem without addressing the issue. We recommend that the OCCC’s policy be rescinded and prop- betting on college athletes be restored.”
