The NCAA has extended its partnership with Genius Sports through 2032, introducing measures to protect college athletes from negative prop bets and associated abuse.
Protecting Athletes from Negative Prop Bets
The NCAA has announced a significant extension of its partnership with Genius Sports, a leading sports data and technology company. This renewed agreement, set to run through 2032, designates Genius Sports as the exclusive distributor of official NCAA data to licensed sportsbooks. A pivotal aspect of this extension is the prohibition of negative proposition bets, which have been linked to increased online abuse and undue pressure on college athletes.
Addressing Online Abuse and Social Pressure
Studies have highlighted the detrimental impact of negative prop bets on student-athletes. In 2024, over 5,000 instances of online abuse targeting college athletes were documented, with a significant portion directed at participants in high-profile events like March Madness. Female athletes, in particular, faced a disproportionate amount of this abuse. The NCAA’s initiative aims to mitigate such issues by eliminating betting options that focus on individual player performance metrics.
Broader Efforts to Enhance Athlete Welfare
Beyond the partnership with Genius Sports, the NCAA is actively advocating for state-level regulations to ban college prop bets. Currently, more than half of U.S. states with legalized sports betting have implemented such bans, but the NCAA continues to push for nationwide adoption to ensure comprehensive protection for student-athletes.
