NCAA officials push for ban on prop bets on college athletes
NCAA President Charlie Baker on Wednesday urged lawmakers in states with legal wagering on sporting events to ban prop bets on college athletes.
Prop bets — short for proposition bets — allow gamblers to wager on statistics a player will accumulate during a game rather than the final score.
Baker’s statement came two days after the NBA confirmed it opened an investigation into unusual betting patterns surrounding props involving Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter.
The Raptors said Porter would miss his third consecutive game Wednesday for personal reasons.
Earlier this month, U.S. Integrity, a company used by many sports professional sports leagues and college conferences to monitor betting activity, flagged a Temple basketball game for wagering irregularities.
The NCAA already has made some progress in pushing for the elimination of prop bets on college athletes. Gaming regulators in Ohio, Vermont and Maryland have removed prop betting on college athletes online and in sportsbooks. Baker and his staff are reaching out to regulators in other states to encourage similar bans.
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Kentucky AD says Calipari will return
Kentucky athletic director Mitch Barnhart confirmed on social media that John Calipari will return as men’s basketball coach despite calls for his firing following the Wildcats’ third consecutive early exit from the NCAA Tournament.
Barnhart posted Tuesday night on X, that he and the Hall of Fame coach have talked about the direction of the program. He posted: “I can confirm that he will return for his 16th season as our head coach.”
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