Prop Betting Case Studies Reveal System Risks and Integrity Solutions

Professional Sports: Detection is the Solution Pathway

Scandals in professional sports have demonstrated that prop betting is vulnerable to manipulation using insider information or feigned performance.

NBA Incidents

The NBA experienced multiple high-profile integrity breaches in 2024 and 2025:

• Jontay Porter was banned for life in 2024 after he confessed to faking an injury. He did this to fulfill prop bets placed by gamblers on his underperformance. The detection system worked because licensed operator DraftKingsflagged an $80,000 parlay showing unusual action.
• In October 2025, a federal indictment charged current player Terry Rozier for allegedly telling an associate he would sit out a second half with a foot issue. This leak allowed others to win “under” stat-line bets.
• Portland coach Chauncey Billups was indicted in the same probe for illegal betting activity.

At the professional level, prop-related cases have surfaced but, critically, they were uncovered by the system itself. Licensed sportsbooks and integrity monitoring units flagged the anomalies. The NBA’s detection system, established through its betting partnership, caught the plot. Similarly, the study notes an alert from BetMGM about a large baseball bet previously led to a coach’s firing. This proves that while the risk is real, the regulated betting model creates a data trail and the solution pathway for catching cheats through shared data and alerts.

Granular Markets and Global Risks

Prop betting concerns extend to minute events and international sports:

• In mid-2025, MLB investigated Cleveland Guardians pitchers Luis Ortiz and Emmanuel Clase over suspicious wagering on individual pitches. Bettors focused on whether Ortiz’s first pitch of an inning would be a ball or a strike—an ultra-micro prop. While no rules were broken, the incident shows how any single moment can become a betting market. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed player influence on any bet breaches integrity, leading to reports that MLB is working to remove certain props.
• Combat sports faced issues when sportsbooks detected irregular wagering before a major UFC fight in 2022. Early intervention—made possible by shared operator data—led to an investigation, showcasing a success story of the regulated model.
• Internationally, fixing has appeared in tennis set wagers and in soccer card or corner props in youth matches, confirming that detailed bets globally invite corruption attempts.

According to a case study primer from SCCG Management, the growth of proposition (prop) betting has exposed critical integrity risks across both professional leagues and college athletics. The firm’s analysis, titled “Case Studies in Prop Betting: Lessons from the Professional Ranks and the College Sphere,” highlights that prop markets, which feature wagers on micro-level events, create clear pathways for corruption attempts and place unique social pressures on athletes. However, the study also notes that the regulated betting model itself provides the tools necessary to detect and combat these threats.

To read the full primer visit the following link: https://sccgmanagement.com/research/prop-betting-integrity-in-the-age-of-ai/

College Sphere: Protecting Young Athletes and Welfare

The college context presents unique challenges where player welfare is the central concern, leading to stricter regulatory responses than in professional leagues.

Harassment and Mental Health

The proliferation of college player prop bets has caused harassment of student-athletes to steadily increase, often in direct correlation with the availability of individual stats for wagering. An NCAA official noted these bets “put a target on their back,” making them susceptible to abuse.

• A specific example occurred after North Carolina legalized college prop bets, when basketball star Armando Bacot received over 100 angry messages from fans who lost wagers on his rebounding total. These incidents prove the negative spillover effects of props can harm young athletes’ welfare, even when no rules are violated.

The college environment highlights the human side of prop risk. Young athletes are students first, and bets on their performance carry direct reputational and psychological costs.

Prohibitions and Educational Measures

In response, regulatory bodies have acted decisively:

• Ohio became the first state to ban all NCAA player props on February 23, 2024. Governor Mike DeWine stated that protecting student welfare must come before maximizing betting revenue. An official noted college props represented only 1.35% of total bets, justifying the ban.
• Vermont, Maryland, and Louisiana soon enacted similar bans. The NCAA is calling for the complete elimination of all player-specific prop bets, citing both integrity and mental-health reasons.

Beyond bans, colleges are building an “integrity playbook”:

• The NCAA now provides e-learning and on-campus programs about betting pitfalls.
• It utilizes an AI “Threat Matrix” to scan social media for abusive content aimed at students.
• Coaches, such as Dayton’s Anthony Grant, have spoken out about players “coming home to hate” from social media.

Because young athletes are viewed as having legal protections beyond their professional counterparts, states and the NCAA are taking a stricter stand on prohibiting player props. This adaptation shows the broader theme: when risks materialize, stakeholders adapt rules by combining prohibitions with technology (social-media monitoring) and education.

To read the full primer visit the following link: https://sccgmanagement.com/research/prop-betting-integrity-in-the-age-of-ai/