State lawmakers have started to advance legislation that would allow the Louisiana Gaming Control Board to set up a rule where they can ban a person from placing sports bets in Louisiana if they harass a college athlete. Leesville Senator Mike Reese says a recent ESPN report found that one in three high profile college athletes receive abusive messages from bettors.
“According to NCAA monitoring, during March Madness in 2024, more than 540 threatening messages, including death threats, were documented during those tournaments,” Reese said.
Reese is the author of the legislation, and he says Ohio and West Virginia have already passed this law and the NCAA is encouraging more states to do the same.
“Including the implementation of a reporting system to allow states to place certain bettors who harass student-athletes on a list that excludes them from being able to place bets,” Reese explained.
During his testimony in front of a Senate Committee, Reese presented evidence that female college athletes are harassed more than men.
“24% of abusive messages, related to women’s softball, were from angry bettors, compared to 12% across all other sports,” Reese noted.
Reese says many of these threats are related to prop bets, which Louisiana has already prohibited on college contests. An example of a prop bet would be a wager on the number of points or touchdowns a player would score.
The bill heads to the Senate floor and is expected to receive legislative approval.
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