An expense that would ban college gamer props at sportsbooks in New Jersey is gaining traction in the legislature.

The New Jersey Assembly's tourism, gaming, and arts committee voted Thursday to release A4905, advancing the legislation and moving it closer to passage in Trenton.

A4905 - and its twin in the New Jersey Senate, S3080 - would ban sportsbooks from using or accepting "any wager on a player-specific proposition bet on any college sport or athletic occasion."

Simply put, there would be no more college player props for Garden State punters at locally controlled sportsbooks if the costs ends up being law.

While New Jersey sports betting rules forbid wagering on groups, they allow betting on college gamer props, a minimum of for now.

"As one of the very first states to legalize sports betting, I think that it is our duty to ensure that we set the very best example we possibly can for all others who want to follow our lead," stated Democratic Assemblyman Sterley Stanley, A4905's sponsor, in a declaration following the committee vote. "Even as a staunch advocate of the sports wagering industry, I believe it is incumbent upon us to acknowledge the amazing pressures that college athletes deal with between their scholastic and athletic duties. My legislation guarantees that they do not have those pressures compounded by problem bettors that have come to pester our college athletes when bettors lose cash on college player proposition bets."

Be 'reasonable'

If New Jersey were to ban college player props, it would continue the current trend of states kiboshing those betting markets over concerns of student-athlete harassment and abuse, amongst other things.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and its president, previous Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker, have been lobbying states for prop restrictions with those concerns in mind. The NCAA supports A4905.

"Sports wagering is on the rise, and with it, so is the threat for college athletes, and there is no concern they are getting harassed by wagerers," Austin Meo, the assistant director of federal government relations for the NCAA, informed the Assembly committee on Thursday. "That threatens the stability of the video game, and it threatens the wellness of college athletes everywhere."

Meo said that 20 states allow college gamer props in some form. However, he likewise kept in mind that at the start of 2024, there were 24 states, before Ohio, Maryland, Vermont, and Louisiana moved this year to restrict those wagering markets.

"Taking an affordable step that half the states with sports wagering have actually taken to restrict prop bets is something New Jersey can do to help react to this serious concern," Meo said.

Highway to 'hell'

There is no assurance New Jersey will go through with a college gamer prop restriction, although current history suggests there is a possibility. Nevertheless, A4905 and S3080 will face opposition from licensed sportsbook operators and other interested parties in the Garden State, one of the most fully grown markets for legal sports wagering in the U.S.

Lobbyist Bill Pascrell, of Princeton Public Affairs Group, told the Assembly committee on Thursday that there is "no proof or positive info" from the worried celebrations that enabling prop bets makes gamers more vulnerable than permitting wagering on college groups.

Pascrell said banning college gamer props will shift that action to unlawful and overseas sportsbooks, even if that action is a reasonably little portion of all sports betting.

"The states don't have the long arm of the law to reach the black market," Pascrell stated in opposing the costs. "This guarantees that folks that wager this kind of prop bet, and it's a small sector of the market, around two to 4%, will just go to the black market. And we don't see any proof positive that by using this bet, we're making folks more vulnerable, due to the fact that the bet will simply transfer to the black market."

Pascrell stated New Jersey's restriction on in-state college wagering pushed banking on those schools in basketball tournaments to the black market or sportsbooks in neighboring states.

"I understand this expense has the very best of objectives, but I think often the street to hell is paved by the finest of intents, and I believe we should reevaluate this concern, since I'm worried about the explosion of the black market and this will aid those in the black market," Pascrell informed the committee.

College gamer prop betting is finished in Ohio since March 1. Matthew Schuler, executive director of the Ohio Casino Control Commission, announced today he approved the NCAA's request to prohibit such wagering. Any remaining futures must be voided by next Friday.