Sports betting is a relatively new villain in college sports. But as the practice becomes more accepted by the day, the more damage it inflicts on athletes, especially those in college. The Big Ten appealed to NCAA President Charlie Baker for some strict measures to protect the interests of student-athletes.

Backed by the conference, the Big Ten Student-Athlete Issue Commission sent an impassioned plea to the NCAA, seeking a ban on prop bets. These wagers, unlike normal bets, are placed against individual player stats and performances, like passing yards and rebounds. The commission’s message highlighted that those making money off a student athlete’s career don’t hold back when things go awry.

“There are fans that sit behind the bench yelling horrible things when expectations are not met, and the keyboard warriors not in attendance send cruel DMs to players when bets do not cash out,” the statement read. “Prop bets are a direct avenue to the overwhelming number of death threats that student-athletes receive if they ‘ruin a parlay’ or cause a fan to lose their bet.”

“Sports betting does not give anyone the right to dehumanize athletes. We are human beings over everything else — more than a jersey number, a stat line, or someone else’s wager.”

Betting and its evils in college sports have long been debated and researched. Prop betting is perhaps the most vicious form of betting in this sense, since it revolves around individual players. In a study conducted by the NCAA in 2025, a third of D1 college basketball players were subjected to betting-related harassment online. The same study also found that 16% of college football players were sent “negative or threatening messages.” And, the perpetrators don’t seem to care that these athletes are sometimes 18-year-olds, or are in their early 20s.

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Then of course, there’s the question of integrity. Prop bets allow players to be manipulated – sometimes, bettors offer them incentives to play in a certain manner. The NCAA is exploring cases of potential game manipulation by 40 student-athletes, all of whom have been flagged in the past year. In January this year, 39 Division I college basketball players were accused of point-shaving.

Though the NCAA has become ridiculed as a powerless organization, it has been fighting sports betting for quite some time now. The organization called on states to adopt restrictions on bets in college sports. But as usual, progress has been extremely slow. Only Louisiana, Ohio, Vermont, and Maryland have banned prop betting. In January 2026, Baker once again put forward a request to state gambling commissions to take action.

“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.”

The concern of student-athletes is 100% valid, but it comes at a time when sports betting is no longer taboo. 38 states have legalized the practice, and Missouri’s gambling commission also rejected the ban proposed by Charlie Baker. Sports betting has become a financial goldmine, which is why states would not be inclined to a ban on it. According to the American Gaming Association, it generated a whopping 13.7 billion in revenue in 2024. A total of 157 billion was wagered by Americans legally, according to a study published by Tax Foundation.

These numbers are proof that financial interests outweigh the social ones when it comes to betting. Plus, the NCAA’s efforts carry little value when those who rule this market speak against bans on betting.

DraftKings CEO deems ban on prop bets “crazy”

The number of players being caught in betting scandals is rising in tandem with sports betting. In November last year, six college basketball players from Arizona State, Mississippi Valley, and New Orleans were accused of fixing games. Before that, there was the Terry Rozier case in the NBA, which saw him get indicted. Yet, betting platforms remain undeterred. DraftKings CEO Jason Robins boldly denounced the NCAA’s pursuit of a ban on prop bets.

“I think you got to always be careful when you’re talking about banning things,” he told Front Office Sports on February 6. “Generally, prohibiting things has not been the answer in these types of situations and has actually resulted in just pushing it back into the illegal market. And I think that’s what would happen if you had some sort of ban on prop bets.

“I think jumping to ‘Let’s ban it’ is crazy.”

The concern for player welfare in betting has taken a backseat in this scenario, as sports betting shows no signs of stopping as an industry. If the NCAA’s message is rejected by market leaders, states would clearly be less likely to follow suit.