Montana Bucks the Trend of Banning College Prop Bets

Recently, the controversy surrounding college prop betting has dominated headlines in the U.S. sports wagering world. More states are now banning this market following a request from NCAA President Charlie Baker. While this decision will have an impact on all major sports betting sites, the effect may not be as significant as anticipated.

On Thursday, Montana declared that it will continue to offer college prop betting options, going against the recent trend of eliminating them from wagering menus.

A week ago, Baker spoke out about the increasing college prop betting market in the U.S., highlighting the issues of player harassment and game integrity in a post on X/Twitter. He urged states and sportsbooks to cease offering bets on individual college players.

Last week, Montana was one of the states that the NCAA reached out to.

Montana reluctance

Montana, with just $63 million in bets in 2026, is among the states with the smallest legal sports betting market. The Montana Lottery is the sole provider of gambling services in the state, offering the Sports Bet Montana app for mobile sports betting access. Additionally, wagering kiosks are available at various locations across Montana for convenience.

Bob Brown, the Director of the Montana Lottery, explained that despite the national trend to ban college sports prop betting, Montana does not plan to follow suit. He stated that due to the state’s low population and only two major universities, issues seen nationally have not been a concern in Montana. Brown also mentioned that they have no immediate plans to discontinue college player prop markets through their sportsbooks, as the local teams already have limited markets available, which they do not want to further restrict.

But…

Director Bob Brown stated that while the Montana Lottery has made a decision at this time, they fully acknowledge the importance of addressing player prop bets and the potential negative impacts in other regions. The organization is dedicated to closely monitoring player and bettor activity within their sports book, as well as staying informed about developments nationwide. Brown commended the raising of concerns on this issue.

It is possible that the decision may be reevaluated at a future date.

Going against the grain

Recently, several states, including Ohio, Maryland, Vermont, and Louisiana, have followed in Charlie Baker’s footsteps by implementing bans on college prop bets.

The announcement in Montana on Thursday marks a departure from the trend of states banning college prop betting.

College prop betting markets are still available in Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.

It is unclear whether those states will choose to follow Montana’s lead and continue offering college prop betting, or if they will join the growing trend of phasing out the wagering market entirely.