Im-Prop-er Gamble: How Prop Betting is Undermining Sports Integrity & People’s Lives

Im-Prop-er Gamble: How Prop Betting is Undermining Sports Integrity & People’s Lives

By Elai Levinson, LSU student & Louisiana Progress College Fellow 

This time of year is special for me as a sports fan. The NBA season is just getting underway, the college football season is in full swing (Geaux Tigers!), and we’re in the midst of another thrilling Major League Baseball postseason, with the World Series bringing near-nightly theatrics. 

I absolutely love sports, and take pleasure in the social aspects of watching games with friends and family. But in recent years, I have noticed a troubling trend in the viewing experience: Whether it be in a sports bar with strangers or a watch party with my friends, sports discussions these days almost entirely revolve around gambling. It seems like everyone is betting. You can’t miss the nonstop commercials for online sportsbooks like Fanduel or DraftKings during every game or sports talk show. And stories of athletes involved in gambling investigations have become much more common, like the recent scandal involving National Basketball Association player Terry Rozier and coach Chauncey Billups, who were arrested in connection with an illegal gambling ring.  

“Fans” these days seem less concerned about the performance and statistics of their favorite players and teams, and the narratives surrounding matchups between rivals, than they are about the over/under or whether their parlay will hit. Even if you are like me and don’t gamble, it’s hard to avoid hearing about it because it is so pervasive in modern sports culture. 

Ever since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a previous law that largely banned sports betting across the country, the gambling industry has experienced an incredible boom. As a result, more Americans are wagering their money on sports. But the incredible explosion in revenue for the gambling industry has a dark side: A similar growth of public health concerns relating to increased access to gambling, especially since the rapid expansion of mobile gambling that began just a few years ago.  

Studies have shown an increase in online searches regarding gambling addictions in the states where online betting was legalized following the Supreme Court ruling. Aside from the obvious financial effects that gambling addiction has on people, evidence suggests that gambling addiction can have several adverse psychological, biological, and social effects. An article from UCLA Health even posited that gambling disorders have a cognitive effect that mimics drugs like cocaine and heroin. 

A report from The Lancet emphasized further harms that gambling addiction can have on individuals, families, and communities. One particularly jarring finding from the report is that, “these harms can include loss of employment, broken relationships, health effects, and crime-related impacts. Gambling can heighten the risk of suicidality and domestic violence.”

There is also growing concern about one particular aspect of sports gambling: Prop betting. Prop bets allow gamblers to place live, in-game bets that focus mostly on individual player performances, but they can also be on more trivial, off-the-field events, like the length of the national anthem. The lack of a pause for in-game prop betting means those betting options keep people locked in to their gambling apps, thus exacerbating addiction. 

Prop betting  also impacts the integrity of the game. A former LSU wide receiver, Kayshon Boutte, was arrested for allegedly placing bets while underage, with some of his bets being placed on LSU games, including two bets on himself. Due to controversies like these, and pressure from the NCAA for states to ban prop bets on college athletes, Louisiana took action, with the state’s Gaming Control Board banning all prop bets on college athletes. This type of limitation can also address harassment directed at college athletes. 

But while banning prop bets on college athletes is a step in the right direction, I would argue that more states need to implement outright bans on prop bets, including for professional sports. Following the news that two pitchers on the Cleveland Guardians, Luis Ortiz and star closer Emmanuel Clase, were being placed on leave amid an MLB investigation into their personal sports gambling practices, Ohio’s Governor, Republican Mike DeWine, called on Ohio’s Casino Control Commission to ban prop bets statewide. Governor DeWine has a history of being opposed to prop betting, applauding the changes made to Ohio’s sports betting rules that banned prop bets on college sports in early 2024. 

With the rise of both red and blue states seeking to ban prop betting altogether, Louisiana should be next in line. There is a rich sports culture across the state, with professional teams like the Saints and Pelicans, and some of the best college sports teams in the country. In order to protect the integrity of our sports culture, the games themselves, and the well-being of our athletes and our people, the state legislature and/or the Gaming Control Board should take the necessary action to outlaw all prop betting in Louisiana.