Betting-Related Harassment Targets College Athletes

In response, the NCAA is increasing pressure on state regulators and gambling operators to remove prop bets on college athletes to safeguard their well-being and competition integrity.

Men’s Sports Bear the Brunt of Abuse

The SNAP study, which surveyed nearly 6,800 sophomores and above from 153 Division I schools, uncovered a widespread issue of bettors contacting student-athletes directly. Thirty-six percent of Division I men’s basketball players reported receiving negative messages on social media related to sports betting in the last year. This abuse often came from fans whose wagers, such as over/under totals, failed.

• Men’s Basketball: 36% of players reported betting-related social media abuse. 29% had interacted with a fellow student who placed a bet on their team.

• Football: 16% of athletes in the Football Bowl Subdivision reported negative or threatening messages. 26% had interacted with a student bettor on campus.

• Overall Men’s Sports: 7% of male athletes reported receiving direct threats or negative messages from fans who lost a bet on their game. 9% were told by a student that the student either won or lost a wager placed on the athlete.

One former men’s basketball player, Pierre Brooks II, stated after an EPIC Global Solutions session that this type of contact is “actually pretty common.” He noted that bettors frequently send direct messages when players do not meet the statistics needed for their wagers. These rates of abuse were much lower for women’s sports athletes, with only 1%reporting either negative fan messages or interactions with student bettors.

NCAA Demands Action on Prop Bets

NCAA President Charlie Baker stated that jurisdictions and gaming operators still offering these types of bets are “putting student-athletes and competition integrity at risk.” The NCAA launched a campaign in 2023 urging state regulatory bodies and gambling companies to stop offering prop bets on college sports.

Prop bets allow wagers on specific individual athlete performances, such as a player’s total rebounds or yards. The NCAA has successfully petitioned four states to eliminate college athlete prop bets from their markets. The association is the only major sports organization in the United States that bars commercial advertising and partnerships with sportsbooks.

Integrity Measures and Enforcement

The NCAA maintains the largest integrity monitoring program in the country, alongside extensive educational efforts for student-athletes on the risks of sports betting. Despite these efforts, the rise in wagering has increased issues of integrity and compliance.

The NCAA enforcement staff has opened investigations into potential sports betting violations concerning roughly 30 current or former men’s basketball players. Several of these cases are resolved, with 12 student-athletes receiving permanent bans from all NCAA competition. The association believes regulators, lawmakers, and gaming operators must increase their support for these integrity efforts. Full results from the SNAP study are publicly available, and the NCAA plans to release additional data on social media abuse from its separate 2025 GOALS Study in January.