CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Legislators in North Carolina are working on a bill that would protect college athletes from dealing with any sort of harassment from sports bettors. If passed, the bill would block bettors from placing prop bets on any non-professional athlete.
Sports betting is a big hit in North Carolina, as gamblers collectively placed more than $1.3 billion in mobile sports bets in March and April alone.
But of course, not every bet is a winner. Ashville State Senator Julie Mayfield is the primary sponsor of the bill. Senator Mayfield is tired of college athletes getting the blame for money being lost around sports betting.
In early May, Mayfield filed a proposed bill geared to put an end to prop betting on college athletes.
“We should at least be protecting our young and younger athletes," Mayfield told WCNC Charlotte's Myles Harris. “You should not be able to yell at athletes about your choice, and the fact that it didn't work out for you."
Jim Kenosh is a sports fan who bets on the games. What he's not a fan of, however, is fans pointing the finger at college athletes for a lost bet.
“It's definitely far-fetched," Kenosh said.
Mayfield is hopeful even if the bill isn’t passed. More can be done to prevent bettors from harassing athletes.
“This is not good for our kind of college athletes ... I hope we would do something about that," Mayfield said.
She and other legislatures in North Carolina hope to follow in the footsteps of states like Vermont, Ohio and Maryland, which have all banned college prop bets within their states.
Contact Myles Harris at mharris5@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.