Louisiana Latest State to Ban College Player Prop Betting

Last week, NCAA President Charlie Baker released a statement on X, formerly Twitter, about his desire to see the end of college-age prop betting at our best sports betting sites in the U.S. market.

The nationwide push to ban college player prop betting in the U.S. market gained more steam Wednesday with the announcement of Louisiana sports betting apps following others such as Ohio sports betting apps, Vermont sports betting apps, and Maryland sports betting apps in ceasing that betting market altogether.

The Louisiana Gaming Control Board, which had been working on its own ban before Wednesday’s announcement, revealed that it is indeed ceasing college prop bets in its jurisdiction. The ban won't be immediate, however. August 1 is the date earmarked for the end of such markets in the Louisiana sports betting scene.

What Louisiana regulators have stipulated

As mentioned, there was already an effort in the Bayou State for Louisiana sports betting sites to stop taking what has been defined as "any proposition or 'prop' bet on an individual athlete's performance or statistics participating in a college sporting event." 

Louisiana Gaming Control Board chairperson Ronnie Johns just last week said in a statement “It is the intention of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board to protect the integrity of sports betting as well as the safety and integrity of college athletes. We feel that this order accomplishes that goal.”

This means that no college players' statistical output will be available for wagering in the Bayou state from any of the state's providers. There will still be lots of ways to take advantage of numerous Louisiana sportsbook promos.

"All reasonable efforts shall be made to comply," said the Board's press release. "While the Division understands that identifying players included in this notification may present challenges, Sports Betting Operators shall use their best efforts to comply with the intent of this notification."

Broader effort

Efforts to curb player prob betting opportunities in the U.S. have been a focus for NCAA President Charlie Baker and some of America's largest sports betting jurisdictions. Harassment and "integrity of the game" are the main reasons for such a push.

Although a seemingly important market, college prop bets made up just 1.3% of all wagers accepted in Ohio in 2023. Of the $7.6 billion in total bets in the Ohio market last year, $104.6 million was made up of college prop bets and $12 million in revenue.

Maryland, Ohio, Vermont, and Louisiana are just the latest states to take steps toward protecting college athletes from the gambling side of the "business." Twenty-nine of the 50 states in America now have some protections in place, if not some sort of bans. Some of them do not yet have their own legal sports betting platform.

Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, and Wyoming are the states that still allow for prop bets for college-age athletes, and they could be the next targets of opponents of such markets and maybe even Charlie Baker himself.