With scandals aplenty and a growing list of athletes proven to have manipulated athletic betting markets, the pressure on sportsbooks, regulators and lawmakers to rethink what kind of bets are on offer is at an all-time high. But this is far from the first incident of a post-PASPA betting scandal and, to date, not much has changed.
Is 2026 the year that sportsbooks stop bending and break when it comes to micromarkets in in-game betting or limits on collegiate athletic prop bets? The SBC Americas editorial team each weigh in with their predictions.
Tom Nightingale: At least one state bans props
I expect at least one state governor will find themselves looking at a bill to ban all prop betting in 2026. State regulators will certainly start 2026 thinking long and hard about what is the right thing to do. State legislatures repealing sports betting entirely is a remarkable thought and surely a measure too far, but even the fact we’re talking about states possibly talking about it is a sign of a negative upswell.
When it comes to sports and sports betting integrity, it’s hard not to think two things: One, the broader perception of how sports and gambling interact may never be the same again, and two, there’s plenty more shadowy iceberg below the surface.
Jessica Welman: Expect more talk and minimal action
We’ve seen several new bills to eliminate in-game prop betting hit state legislatures, but we all know that introducing a bill and actually passing one are two hugely different things. If any state actually takes meaningful legislative action next year, I think it might be Ohio. Gov. Mike DeWine genuinely seems troubled by the controversy surrounding the Cleveland Guardians and the mea culpa of the MLB and sportsbooks capping wagers on pitches doesn’t seem like enough to appease him.
But elsewhere, I think we will continue to see a bunch of lip service and little action. Industry lobbyists will reiterate that these regulated bets are what is helping to detect these integrity issues and, hopefully, more leagues and sportsbooks will self-impose sensible caps to remove the enticement to manipulate these markets.
Justin Byers: The leagues solve things on their own
The regulated gaming industry and sports leagues have made their bed and laid in it when it comes to exposing sports betting to the masses. The recent alleged gambling scandals for MLB and the NBA have certainly led to questions about the integrity of the sports betting industry, but stakeholders that provide the resources and tools that ensure fair and safe gambling will continue to advocate for the state-mandated protocols and safeguards that detect nefarious activity.
My colleagues mentioned the legislative movement that could take place in 2026 amid the recent controversies related to player prop wagering, but SBC Americas’ coverage of MLB’s quick movement to work with operators to set a maximum bet limit for pitch-level markets makes me think this issue will remain on the ground between operators and leagues and not in the courts. As a football fanatic and knowing the reach and physical nature of the NFL, a major scandal related to game or outcome manipulation by league players or staff could spark major movement by lawmakers.
