MU officials raise concerns as Missouri Gaming Commission denies NCAA player prop bet ban
Mitchell Kaminski
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (KMIZ)
The Missouri Gaming Commission has denied a request from the NCAA to ban wagers on individual student-athlete performance, including player prop bets and first-half wager spreads on college basketball games.
NCAA President Charlie Baker sent a letter to the commission on Jan. 15 urging the state to restrict these bets, citing concerns about harassment, manipulation and the well-being of more than 550,000 student-athletes nationwide. The association noted its enforcement staff has opened investigations into roughly 40 student-athletes across 20 schools over the past year. Eleven student-athletes from seven schools were found to have bet on their own performances, shared insider information with bettors or engaged in game manipulation.
University of Missouri officials were asked about the topic during Thursday’s MU Faculty Council meeting, with MU Athletics Director Laid Veatch and UM System President Mun Choi echoing Baker’s concerns
“The concern over the influence for our student athletes from a gambling standpoint is a very real, very high-level concern,” Veatch said. “You hear the president, Charlie Baker of the NCAA, that’s a hot button topic for him. And it is very real because we have student athletes that feel a lot of pressure and get a lot of social media harassment.”
Veatch added that when student-athletes are paid and sports betting is legal, prop bets “make it far easier for them to become involved.” Choi also said the university monitors social media to track whether student-athletes are being harassed.
“When the NCAA decided it would be OK for student-athletes to bet on pro sports, we came out as a conference and said that we think that’s a bad idea. When it comes to gambling, we’re evaluating the situation of what other universities are doing,” Choi said.
The NCAA cited harassment and the solicitation of insider information as major risks associated with player prop bets. Surveys indicated 36% of Division I men’s basketball players reported harassment from someone with a betting interest. The NCAA also highlighted the risks of “spot-fixing,” where a portion of a contest — such as a first-half under spread — could be manipulated.
Ryan Butler, senior editor at Covers, said the NCAA has been focusing on first-half under wagers and individual player props for more than a year.
“It is hard in a team sport to rig a game. It really is. But it is easy to make you miss that extra free throw, maybe have a turnover,” Butler said. “That’s ultimately the biggest concern.”
The Missouri Gaming Commission received three comments from operators and one from a resident, all opposing the ban. Seven of the eight sportsbooks in Missouri also spoke against the measure.
“I understand the schools and the NCAA wanting to protect those students. But I don’t feel personally that I have enough information to make an informed decision at this time,” Commissioner Jan Zimmerman said during Thursday’s commission meeting.
Butler added the sports books opposing the ban had a “legitimate argument,” but that it would not be a make-or-break deal if the Gaming Commission later decided to revisit the issue.
“The sportsbooks want more betting options. I think in context, though, college prop betting is a small fraction of their overall handle,” Butler said. “The argument, which carries a lot of weight and which is accurate, is that if someone is so corrupt that they’re willing to try to manipulate a college basketball game, they’re probably not even going to use a legal sportsbook. They’re going to go do this through nefarious means. And if they’re honestly dumb enough to try to do this through a legal sportsbook, they’re going to get caught.”
Only four of the 39 states with legalized sports betting have banned player prop bets. While Missouri’s constitution already prohibits wagers involving college athletes in the state of Missouri, the commission said it may revisit the issue once more information is available.
The NCAA has urged state regulators to allow it a “formal seat at the table” with gaming operators and to implement stricter accountability for bettors who harass student-athletes. In recent years, Louisiana, Maryland, Ohio and Vermont have banned individual college athlete prop bets, and two additional states are considering similar legislation in 2026.
