One week after NCAA president Charlie Baker called for more states to ban player prop bets in college sports, the Louisiana Gaming Control Board (LGCB) has issued an order to its licensed sports betting operators prohibiting the practice starting Aug. 1.
The order clarifies that operators may honor any outstanding prop bets. While "identifying players included in this notification may present challenges," the operators should make every effort to comply with the new rule, the order said.
LGCB chairman Ronnie Johns said in a statement that the control board began working on the order "weeks ago, well ahead of the NCAA's call for action on college proposition bets."
"It is the intention of the Louisiana Gaming Control Board to protect the integrity of sports betting as well as the safety and integrity of college athletes," Johns said. "We feel that this order accomplishes that goal."
Baker called for increased scrutiny surrounding player props in college athletics after numerous reports of integrity issues and player harassment in recent months.
"Sports betting issues are on the rise across the country with prop bets continuing to threaten the integrity and competition and leading to student-athletes and professional athletes getting harassed," Baker said. "The NCAA has been working with states to deal with these threats, and many are responding by banning college prop bets."
Louisiana joins Maryland, Ohio, and Vermont as recent states to ban any kind of prop bets on college athletes. Many states allow player prop betting only on college teams located outside of the state, while several states, including North Carolina, have no restrictions on college player props.
Several states are reportedly open to the idea of banning college player prop bets after hearing Baker's call to action. Among them are New Jersey, Kansas and Wyoming, which said it will consider the ban at a May 9 meeting, according to Sports Betting Dime.