Missouri bettors can still wager on individual player prop bets.
- Missouri regulators denied the NCAA’s request to ban college player prop bets, citing insufficient information to justify a prohibition.
- Sportsbooks argued prop bet bans push wagering to offshore markets where integrity monitoring is weaker.
- Increased scrutiny follows recent federal charges tied to college basketball game manipulation.
State regulators Thursday denied the NCAA’s request to ban bets on individual players’ performances as well as wagers for first-half under total spreads. The Missouri Gaming Commission (MGC) voted 3-0 to deny the request, saying during a public meeting it hasn’t had enough time to process such a prohibition.
Multiple commissioners said they would evaluate potential changes as needed.
“I understand the schools and the NCAA wanting to protect those students, but I don't feel personally that I have enough information to make an informed decision at this time,” said MGC chair Jan Zimmerman during Thursday’s meeting.
Increased scrutiny
The MGC’s decision comes shortly after the federal government charged 20 individuals with trying to illegally fix college basketball games, further increasing scrutiny on college prop betting.
College athletes are more susceptible to game manipulation, proponents of player prop bans argue. As legal sports betting options have expanded, so too has the potential to impact competitions for gambling gains.
Opponents of such bans have argued bans on legal sportsbooks are counterintuitive. Legal sportsbooks are the only betting entities monitoring for corruption, unlike their offshore counterparts.
Seven of Missouri’s eight legal sportsbooks submitted written testimony opposing the college player prop ban, stating that without the opportunity to bet legally, nefarious actors will turn to offshore sites or bookies where such gaming manipulation would be more difficult to track.
Dozens of college basketball players were charged this week in a point-shaving scandal.
— Front Office Sports News (@F0S_News) January 16, 2026
The case targeted players at smaller programs, focused on prop bets and point spreads, and has prompted renewed NCAA calls for states to eliminate college player prop betting. pic.twitter.com/lNAcN0KBFe
Thirty-nine states have some form of legal sports betting. Fifteen have explicit prohibitions on all individual college player props, nine have no restrictions, and the remaining states limit some but not all such props.
New York, New Jersey, Virginia, and Missouri neighbor Illinois are among the states that prohibit any bets involving in-state college athletes or teams. Sportsbooks have campaigned against these bans, again arguing it pushes players toward illegal markets, while supporters maintain they protect the athletes.
Missouri accepted its first legal sports bets last month, becoming the most recent state to legalize sports wagering.
State gaming regulatory bodies from Louisiana, Maryland, Ohio, and Vermont have implemented college prop betting bans within the last 24 months. Several other states are considering legislative bans in 2026, though Washington lawmakers are weighing a bill to permit college prop betting at tribal casinos.
NCAA president Charlie Baker wrote in the ban request letter to Missouri that the state should prohibit these games because they lead to increased student-athlete harassment, insider information solicitation, and illegal sports-fixing. Baker has testified for a federal ban in Congress, but no meaningful legislative action has been taken.
