• Proposition bets on student-athletes have been linked to increased instances of athlete abuse
• Irate gamblers have piled on threats and abuse on student-athletes because they have lost their wagers
• New Jersey wants to follow in the example of other states and restrict prop bets in the first place

New Jersey’s Senate Government, Wagering, Tourism, and Historic Preservation Committee moved forward with Senate Bill 3080 last week. On Thursday, June 19, the committee unanimously approved (5-0) the bill's advancement.

New Jersey moves forward with measure to ban prop bets on college student-athletes

Senate Bill 3080 is now scheduled for a full Senate hearing before it can be considered by the House of Representatives. The goal is simple – ban proposition bets on college players in a bid to stem the abuse that has been trickling in against students.

Hecklers and online trolls have taken to social media and even live games to pile abuse on players and even send them death threats. The reason? Argues Sen. Kristen Corrado – gambling and specifically proposition bets that have contributed to an increase in harassment of student-athletes.

Sen. Corrado comes from a place of understanding the issue and firmly believes that suspending prop bets in the Garden State is a positive step forward for making student-athletes feel safer.

"I have heard about many individuals who have been the victim of online harassment because they didn’t perform to the expectations of a bettor who made a side wager. This legislation will ban player-specific prop betting in New Jersey, which will help curb that appalling behavior and make college athletic events safer for all participants."

Sen. Corrado is not the only person who is concerned about online and even physical abuse of student-athletes, with the NCAAmaking it a priority to bring in different stakeholders, including tech firms and law enforcement, to ensure that students are protected, and further bring those seeping harassment online to justice.

The NCAA similarly believes that proposition bets ought to be cut out entirely from regulated sports gambling, as there is indeed a link to abuse of student-athletes and their availability, the company argues.

Ohio, Maryland, Vermont, and Louisiana have already acted, alongside 11 other states, ensuring that prop bets on college student-athletes are not available, and thus ensuring that they will be protected from abusers.

Abuse against athletes comes in many forms

However, the larger issue at hand is that professional athletes are being abused by the same people, who have lost wagers. Many professional and high-performance athletes have received death threats not only against themselves, but also against their families.

This is compounded by the fact that sometimes an athlete may win, and online abusers may start targeting them for that as well. Prohibiting prop bets on college students is most certainly а good way to start limiting abuse against this vulnerable group, but it will hardly be enough.

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