Ohio Bans Player Prop Bets in College Sports

Bettors in Ohio will no longer be able to place player-specific prop bets on college sports after Ohio Casino Control Commission announced its decision on Friday. Sports betting operators have until March 1 to get rid of the prop betting option.

This was a long-awaited ruling after Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and NCAA endorsed the request highlighting the increase in harassment and threats student-athletes face.

Ohio Bans Player Prop Bets in College Sports

Bettors will still be allowed to bet on outcomes and final scores of college sports games, as well as player prop bets on professional sports.

Matt Schuler, executive director of the Ohio Casino Control Commission said that the ban "will safeguard the integrity of sports gaming and will be in the best interests of the public."

Governor Mike DeWine applauded the decision.

"The Ohio Casino Control Commission took quick action to protect student-athletes from unnecessary and potentially harmful threats. Amending rules to focus bets on the team and away from the individual athlete will improve the marketplace in Ohio and properly focus betting attention on the teams and away from individual student-athletes."

- Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine

In January 2023, University of Dayton men's basketball head coach Anthony Grant expressed his concerns about online threats his players were receiving from bettors. After that, Ohio passed a law that aimed to ban anyone who threatened athletes with harm from participating in sports gaming in Ohio.

Now, this is an additional safeguard to protect student-athletes. There are already more than 20 states with legal sports betting that prohibit player-specific prop bets on college sports.