Prop betting raises concerns in Louisiana

• Despite banning college prop bets a few years ago, Louisiana still permits prop betting on professional sports
• The activity raises concerns with one advocacy group supporting a ban on prop bets as a way to decrease problem gambling
• According to the Sports Betting Alliance, banning prop bets won't put an end to the activity but rather transfer it to illegal and offshore bookmakers

Unlike traditional sports bets, which focus on the outcome of a particular competition, prop bets enable placing wagers on the next play in any game.

Prop bets offer a range of markets regardless of the sport, allowing bettors to wager on many different aspects of the game, even if those actions may look insignificant.

Those "micro bets" face scrutiny across the United States, with watchdogs in different states exploring potential restrictions and bans.

Prop bets under scrutiny in Louisiana

While some states completely ban prop bets, others offer the popular type of bets even for college sports.

Louisiana is among the states that banned betting on the actions of an individual college athlete in 2024, joining a handful of states that have taken similar measures.

Despite that, recent gambling-related scandals continue to raise concerns about the impact of prop betting on sports.

In this context, one advocacy group warned about the dangers of prop betting, often related to excessive gambling and integrity concerns.

Peter Robins-Brown, the executive director of Louisiana Progress, a group that helps Louisiana residents identify and resolve real problems, interviewed by The Shreveport-Bossier City Advocate, showed support for banning prop bets in the state.

According to him, such a ban may ultimately help decrease problem gambling.

"Imagine somebody on their phone using the app where there’s essentially no friction, right, between you and being able to make a lot of bets in rapid succession in a way that looks and feels very video-game like," Robins-Brown explained.

At the same time, the executive director outlined that banning prop bets may ultimately address concerns related to the integrity of sports events.

"People need to believe that every shot, every pitch, every pass, every handoff, every tackle is being done to serve the purposes of that team’s greater interest — winning the game," said Robins-Brown.

Opponents banning prop bets warn the activity may continue via unlicensed bookmakers

However, not everyone agrees that banning prop betting in Louisiana will have such a positive impact.

Joe Maloney, the president of the Sports Betting Alliance, an organization representing betting industry leaders FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM and bet365, criticized a potential blanket ban on prop betting.

He acknowledged that such a ban will simply result in prop betting action transitioning from regulated to black market operators.

This, according to Maloney, will eliminate the integrity oversight that applies to the legal gambling sector and helps bring to justice people involved in manipulation.

Considering the ongoing expansion of legal betting, a number of gambling-related scandals have impacted professional sports recently.

In November, MLB pitchers found themselves in trouble in a high-profile betting scandal.

More recently, in January, an NBA betting scandal involving Terry Rozier and Jontay Porterresulted in a prison sentence for one gambler.

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