One of the newest sports betting states could be amending what kinds of wagers bettors can place.
A group of lawmakers in North Carolina have filed H828, a bill that would expressly ban prop bets on college athletes. Rep. Mitchell Setzer is the primary sponsor of the bill but is joined by Reps. Pricey Harrison, Marcia Morey, Neal Jackson and Joseph Pike. Morey filed the same version of the bill last year, but it failed to gain any momentum.
Harrison was a vocal opponent of sports betting when it passed through the House in 2023.
“Gambling is as addictive as opioids that we on this floor are fighting. And yet here we’re debating this bill,” she said at the time. She voiced concerns about the problem gambling rate and the impact it could have on the state.
Now that sports betting is legal, opponents like Harrison are now attempting to fine tune the industry. NCAA President Charlie Baker has called for U.S. sportsbooks to uniformly ban prop bets on individual college athletes. While some states, like Ohio, readily responded to the call, others said they did not believe these markets were an issue.
In addition to banning prop bets, the bill would also limit betting on site at a collegiate sporting event in the eight hours leading up to as well as during the event if it takes place in the state.
Earlier this year, Rep. Michael Baumgartner of Washington introduced a similar bill at the federal leve, HR 1552, Providing Responsible Oversight and Transparency and Ensuring Collegiate Trust (PROTECT) for Student Athletes Act.
Sports betting debuted just over a year ago in North Carolina on March 11, 2024. March 2025 revenue set a record in the state for handle with $585 million in wagers, beating the previous record holder of March 2024. The success of the Duke men’s basketball team no doubt contributed to the uptick in wagers, as the team was one of the top seeds in the NCAA tournament and advanced to the Final Four.
