【stake fake money】North Carolina lawmakers try again to ban college prop bets

House Bill 828 was filed Tuesday (8 April) by Reps. Pricey Harrison, Marcia Morey, Neal Jackson, and Mitchell Setzer. It follows a failed attempt to ban college props last year.

The proposed legislation would mark a significant shift in the regulation of legal sports betting in the state, which launched online betting on 11 March of last year.

Prop bets are wagers placed on specific events within a game that are not directly tied to the final result. These include bets on individual player statistics, such as total points scored or whether a specific player will score during a game.

While prop bets have grown in popularity due to the personalisation and increased engagement they offer, they have also led to unintended consequences. Namely, targeted harassment of college athletes by disgruntled bettors.

North Carolina, in its first year of legal online sports betting, has already seen over $7.2bn in total wagers, including both paid and promotional bets.

Last month, the state set new records for total monthly betting volume and total winnings paid out.

The state government has collected over $135m in taxes from eight licensed operators during that time frame.

Despite the sector’s financial success, some lawmakers are increasingly concerned about the social costs associated with betting, particularly in college athletics.

Stronger support than last session

Rep. Morey brings a unique perspective to the issue as both a former US Olympic swimmer and a former NCAA enforcement official.

Alongside Rep. Harrison, who has historically opposed the expansion of sports gambling, Morey is spearheading efforts to protect student-athletes from the growing incidence of gambling-related abuse.

The proposed ban would apply to both online sportsbooks and any future in-person sports betting venues.

Notably, North Carolina does not currently have brick-and-mortar sportsbooks, but a facility is expected to be developed at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, which hosts NC State University men’s basketball games.

The bill’s sponsors are not acting in isolation. Nationally, the NCAA is continuing its initiative to eliminate player-specific prop bets on college sports.

This movement gained momentum after growing reports of harassment, particularly during high-profile events like the NCAA basketball tournaments.

During this year’s March Madness, the NCAA aired public service announcements urging bettors and fans to refrain from targeting athletes online.

The campaign emphasised that one in three college athletes report experiencing harassment linked to gambling outcomes.

Former University of North Carolina basketball star Armando Bacot publicly acknowledged receiving hostile social media messages from bettors upset over lost wagers. This type of interaction is not isolated.

More students being targeted over betting losses

According to a study released last year, as reported by the NCAA, 33% of college athletes received abusive messages from individuals with a financial interest in game outcomes.

The study further revealed that 80% of the abuse was directed at athletes participating in March Madness.

Notably, women’s basketball players were targeted at approximately three times the rate of their male counterparts.

NCAA President Charlie Baker has been vocal about the organisation’s stance on the matter.

He has advocated for policy changes across the US to curb prop betting on college players, and has announced that the NCAA is implementing monitoring systems during championship events.

These systems are designed to detect and report serious threats to law enforcement authorities.

As of the start of the 2025 football season, 17 states and the District of Columbia have imposed restrictions on college player prop bets in some form.

In addition to North Carolina, New Jersey has also tried to ban such bets.

The growing patchwork of state-level regulations reflects a broader reckoning in the sports betting industry, balancing the economic benefits of legalised gambling with the need to ensure athlete safety and integrity in collegiate sports.

House Bill 828, if passed, would align North Carolina with the increasing number of states placing limits on prop bets involving amateur athletes.