New York Gaming Commission Disappointed By Lack of League Prop Betting Feedback

• New York State Gaming Commission Chair Brian O’Dwyer expressed disappointment at lack of league feedback regarding prop bets
• Gaming commission sent letters to every league with prop markets in New York asking for input regarding market manipulation
• Only NCAA and MLB responded with impactful suggestions

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There may come a time when the New York State Gaming Commission must decide if sports betting props can continue in the Empire State, and commission leadership is hoping professional sports leagues have a say in that discussion.

So far, however, the vast majority of professional leagues have not taken the commission up on that offer.

New York State Gaming Commission Chair Brian O’Dwyer today revealed the commission received only three responses to letters sent to over 100 professional sports leagues asking for input on certain markets or bet types they feel should be restricted, limited, or excluded in the state.

Majority of Leagues Did Not Respond

The New York State Gaming Commission sent letters to the NFL, MLB, NHL, NBA, MLS, and every other league featured in New York’s sports betting catalogue, asking for input on prop betting markets the commission features in the state.

The letters were sent to league representatives as part of the New York State Gaming Commission’s ongoing evaluation of certain New York sports betting markets that may be vulnerable to manipulation.

O’Dwyer revealed today that only three leagues responded to the commission’s request. The NCAA and MLB were the only two to respond to the commission with substantive comments regarding prop betting. The third league that responded was not revealed.

“It appears to me, and the members of this commission, that most leagues could not care less that their leagues are being subjected to possibilities of manipulation. I find the response from the leagues underwhelming, to say the least, and disappointing to say the most,” he said.

While O’Dwyer did not go into detail on what was included in their responses, both leagues have been very vocal in the last year regarding their opinions on prop betting. Since 2024, the NCAA and its President Charlie Baker has pushed for an all-out ban on student-athlete player props in states offering collegiate sports betting as a way to protect student-athletes from harassment stemming from sports bettors.

Ohio, Maryland, Louisiana, and Vermont moved to eliminate player prop bets after Baker’s 2024 request.

MLB and several major U.S. sportsbooks agreed in November to cap bets on individual pitches at $200 as a way to discourage event manipulation. The decision comes two days after Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were charged in a sports betting and money laundering conspiracy, as the pitchers allegedly rigged pitches during the MLB season and shared information with corrupt sports bettors.

As part of the investigation, O’Dwyer announced in November the New York State Gaming Commission’s gaming division staff will examine all individual player prop markets that are game specific and certain single-game specific, multi-leg individual player parlay markets to determine if any are unprotected from sports betting manipulation. If certain markets are determined to be vulnerable to corruption, O’Dwyer said the commission will eliminate those markets.

Potential for Prop Ban With No League Input

O’Dwyer stressed the window is still open for leagues to provide input on prop betting markets. There may be a time, he said, when the New York State Gaming Commission determines that prop betting markets are too susceptible to manipulation to allow to continue in the Empire State.

Without league input on what markets they believe to be susceptible to manipulation, and which they believe to be safe, the gaming commission may be forced to prohibit all prop betting markets in New York, he said.

“They may not be concerned about integrity of their processes, but we are concerned about the integrity of their processes,” he said.

Sports Betting Scandals Led to Evaluation

The New York State Gaming Commission first asked for input in November from the NBA and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver. In an email to the league, the state is open to modifying its sports betting offerings if the league requests for it to do so.

The request followed news that Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier had been arrested in October through a federal investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York for potentially manipulating a 2023 game performance as part of an illegal sports betting ring. Shortly after, news also broke that current NBA coach and hall of fame member Chauncey Billups, plus former player and coach Damon Jones, had also been arrested for their roles in an illegal poker scheme involving New York families of the mafia.

Jones was included in both the poker and sports betting indictments.

Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were charged in a sports betting and money laundering conspiracy this past summer, as the pitchers allegedly rigged pitches during the MLB season and shared information with corrupt sports bettors.