North Carolina Lawmakers Reintroduce College Prop Bet Ban

• Lawmakers in North Carolina are reviving a failed 2024 bill looking to remove prop bets on college athletes from their sportsbooks’ offerings.
• House Bill 828 would prohibit college player props and add in-person betting restrictions at college sports venues.

RALEIGH, N.C. — Less than a year after a similar proposal failed to gain traction, North Carolina lawmakers are once again pushing to ban proposition bets on college sports.

With bipartisan concern about how legal sports betting is affecting student-athletes, House Bill 828, introduced Tuesday in the state House, seeks to prohibit prop bets on individual college player performances. These types of wagers have come under fire over the last year as athletes report an uptick in harassment from gamblers angry over losing bets.

The legislation marks a near mirror of last year’s House Bill 967, which also aimed to eliminate college and amateur prop bets but never made it out of committee. Filed in May 2024, HB 967 passed a first reading but was ultimately buried in the House Rules Committee without a hearing or vote.

This time, backers are hoping for a different outcome.

Rep. Marcia Morey (D-Durham), a former NCAA enforcement official and primary sponsor of both bills, is once again leading the charge. Joined this session by Reps. Neal Jackson (R-Moore), Pricey Harrison (D-Guilford), and Mitchell Setzer (R-Catawba), Rep. Eric Ager, who co-sponsored last year’s effort, has returned as a backer as well.

Since legal online sports betting in North Carolina launched in March 2024, over $6.5 billion has been wagered across the state. While tax revenue has topped $120 million in the same time span, lawmakers and regulators are now reckoning with the social costs of college athletes who’ve become betting targets.

Former UNC star Armando Bacot, who’s spoken publicly about receiving hostile messages from gamblers, helped bring national attention to the issue. The NCAA responded with a March Madness awareness campaign this year, airing commercials that warned fans: “Only a loser would harass college athletes after losing a bet.”

Last year, NCAA President Charlie Baker asked if states would look to ban prop bets on college sports altogether, arguing the bets create “unnecessary pressure” and elevate the risk of gambling-related threats. Over a dozen states with sports betting moved forward with legislation.

What Else Is In The Bill?

HB 828 also includes provisions to restrict in-person betting when college games are played at sports facilities. This is a forward-looking clause as North Carolina prepares for future brick and mortar sportsbook developments like the proposed venue at Raleigh’s Lenovo Center.

While HB 828 is nearly identical in purpose to last year’s HB 967, the political backdrop has shifted. The state now has a full year of sports betting data, and national momentum is building around athlete protection.

Whether North Carolina follows suit remains to be seen. HB 828 has not yet been scheduled for a hearing, but proponents say they’re prepared to push harder this time around.

News tags: Armando Bacot | Charlie Baker | Eric Ager | Lenovo Center | March Madness | Marcia Morey | Mitchell Setzer | NC HB 828 | NC HB 967 | Neal Jackson | North Carolina | Pricey Harrison | UNC