Athletics and Ethics: NC sports betting calls attention to fan and player behavior
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — North Carolina lottery officials project bettors to wager around $600 million within the first month of legalized sports betting.
They base that projection on Wednesday’s sports betting report, which outlined the amount of money people gambled during the first day and first week they could place bets.
According to the report, starting March 11, North Carolinians bet about $116.8 million of their own money, in addition to $81.3 million worth of free, promotional bets from gambling platforms.
After the winners’ payouts and the book operators’ share, state officials estimate they may collect about $7.7 million in tax revenue from that single week.
NCAA President Charlie Baker urges states with legal wagering to ban prop bets on college athletes
“By all accounts, mobile sports betting in North Carolina is off to a strong start,” said Sterl Carpenter with the NC Education Lottery.
All of the money fans put into sports betting is pushing some to become irrational about the games. Athletic advocates report a dramatic increase in online harassment from fans if the athletes don’t meet bettors’ expectations.
In response, NCAA officials said they plan to lobby state legislatures to ban prop bets — the wagers on individual players — at the college level.
NCAA President Charlie Baker issued a statement Wednesday.
“Sports betting issues are on the rise across the country with prop bets continuing to threaten the integrity of competition and leading to student-athletes and professional athletes getting harassed. The NCAA has been working with states to deal with these threats and many are responding by banning college prop bets. This week we will be contacting officials across the country in states that still allow these bets and asked them to join Ohio, Vermont, Maryland, and many others and remove college prop bets from all betting markets. The NCAA is drawing the line on sports betting to protect student-athletes and to protect the integrity of the game – issues across the country these last several days show there is more work to be done.”
Seth Elkin, a spokesman for the Maryland State Lottery and Gaming Control Agency, sent Queen City News the following statement:
“Maryland Lottery and Gaming directed Maryland’s sportsbook operators to stop taking college player prop bets as of March 1, 2024, which made Maryland the 12th state to prohibit these types of wagers. The decision was made in the interests of protecting college athletes against potential pressure and harassment related to their individual statistical performances. The intent is to focus college sports wagers on the teams rather than on the individual athletes.”
Prop bets are under scrutiny at the professional level as well. The NBA launched an investigation this week into Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter.
Charlotte-based US Women’s Field Hockey team preps for 2024 Summer Olympics
An anonymous source told the Associated Press that suspicious outcomes on prop bets on the player during games on January 26 and March 20 raised red flags for investigators.
Porter left the games early, citing injury or illness, and did not come close to hitting the prop-wager lines for points or rebounds. ESPN reports that those bets were among some of the highest payouts of their respective nights.
Porter is not currently with the team, citing personal reasons for missing the past three games.
League officials require players to attend at least one anti-gambling training session a year, hosted by either their team or the NBA. Players who wager on games can face sanctions from the commissioner. Penalties may include disqualification from the league.
The National Problem Gambling Hotline is 1-800-GAMBLER. Operators can connect callers to local resources.
For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to Queen City News.
