Indiana Gaming Commission Delays Decision on Player Prop Bet Ban
Bettors in Indiana will have at least a few more months to bet on college player props. Recently, the Indiana Gaming Commission (IGC) delayed a decision on the NCAA's request to ban player prop bets.
While the recent meeting saw a delay in the decision to ban player prop bets, it will be discussed again at the next IGC quarterly meeting in September.
The chairman of the IGC was not at the recent meeting where two new members joined the panel. One was B.R. Lane, who, after the meeting, stated, “We want a safe and prosperous ecosystem, and I don’t know yet how to do that, how to fairly balance compliance and commerce in this particular instance.”
Ban on college sport player prop bets aims to stop threats
The president of the NCAA, Charlie Baker, has requested that other state sports betting regulators ban player prop bets. That ban has been enacted in some states, while others, such as Missouri, have denied the request.
Baker's argument is that player prop bets lead to threats and harassment of college athletes by bettors.
NCAA managing director of risk management Clint Hangebrauck said that the NCAA discovered thousands of threats by bettors against players over player prop bet losses during March Madness.
Hangebrauk told the IGC that, “We’ve seen death threats, things that we have to report to law enforcement and add security to our events. It’s certainly a huge challenge that’s having a very negative impact on student-athletes and their experience.”
Big schools on board
At the recent IGC meeting, three of the state's major colleges with the largest athletic programs — Indiana, Purdue, and Butler — sent a letter in support of the ban on player prop bets. Also present at the meeting were representatives from the NCAA and sports betting operators that hold licenses to offer services in the Hoosier State.
Operators not convinced
It's not surprising that sportsbook operators oppose the ban on player prop bets, as it would limit the bets available for an event, cutting into their revenue.
At the meeting, there were two former employees of state sports betting regulatory agencies who now work at sportsbooks. Sarah Tate is now at Fanatics after a stint as executive director of the IGC, and Louis Trombetta is at FanDuel Sportsbook after acting as the Florida Gaming Control (FGC) executive director.
Tait stated that, while opposed to the ban, she thought Indiana should go the way of Ohio and West Virginia. Those states have laws that would ban bettors from betting in the state if they were found guilty of harassing or threatening athletes.
Trombetta was also against the ban, but is aware of the issue. She said at the meeting that one of the last things she did at the FGC was to write a state bill to address harassment of athletes by bettors.
