Bill Proposed in New Jersey Aims to Outlaw College Prop Bets amid Growing Harassment Anxieties
Bill S-3080: A game-changer for college sports betting in New Jersey
Forget about placing bets on the next big scoring spree or the first point scorer in a college game - that's all about to change, if Bill S-3080 gets the green light. Recently, this bill sailed through the New Jersey Senate State Government, Wagering, Tourism & Historic Preservation Committee, and it's heading straight to the Senate floor for a vote.
Sen. Kristin Corrado, who put this bill into play, wants to clip the wings of licensed sportsbooks in New Jersey by barring them from accepting wagers on the performances of individual athletes in college sports events. Say goodbye to bets on point totals, rebounds, or the first scorer - this bill aims to shut down those popular prop bets.
According to Corrado, online betting has led to increased harassment towards college athletes, especially when the young athletes don't perform as expected. Frustrated bettors have been taking their anger out on the players via nasty messages and threats, putting both the integrity of college sports and the welfare of student-athletes at risk.
Prop bets, while often seen as exciting and dynamic, can pose a unique risk to amateur athletes, who lack the compensation and protections available to professionals. That's why the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) supports wider restrictions on prop bets across many states. Stakeholders argue that the potential threats to student safety and competitive integrity outweigh any benefits.
New Jersey is already a leading player in the US betting market, so this would mark a significant shift in policy if the bill becomes law. Several other states have already banned player prop bets for NCAA-sanctioned games, including Ohio, Maryland, Louisiana, Vermont, and North Carolina.
If Bill S-3080 becomes law, it could serve as a pioneering move for New Jersey, influencing other states' approaches to college sports betting. Let's keep our fingers crossed for the student-athletes who deserve a safe and harassment-free environment!
(Based on the original text, a few additional insights have been added here to give context and relate the bill's progress)
- Bill S-3080 is currently making its way through the state legislature. As of June 2025, it has passed the Senate Government, Wagering, Tourism, and Historic Preservation Committee with a unanimous 5-0 vote [1][2][3][5].
- The bill, if enacted, would ban online sportsbooks in New Jersey from accepting player-specific proposition bets on college sports events [1][4][5].
- The purpose of the bill is to protect student-athletes from harassment, abuse, and influence stemming from disgruntled bettors when player performances don't meet betting expectations [2][3][5].
- If New Jersey follows through with this move, it would join over a dozen states that have already outlawed college player prop bets, reflecting a growing movement to regulate these types of wagers to protect amateur athletes [5].
The Senate-proposed Bill S-3080, currently moving through New Jersey's legislature, aims to prevent sportsbooks from accepting prop bets on college sports events, serving on the frontlines of policy-and-legislation to protect student-athletes from harassment and abuse. If passed, this bill could significantly reshape the sports-betting landscape in the state, mirroring the approach of several other states like Ohio, Maryland, Louisiana, Vermont, and North Carolina that have already banned such prop bets. This shift in policy and legislation reflects the growing importance of politics and general-news concerning sports betting, as well as the increasing focus on sports, sportsbook, and the well-being of student-athletes.
