One of the unexpected side effects of regulated sports betting in the United States has been an explosion of threats and harassment from aggrieved sports bettors aimed at college athletes. This harassment, in many cases, has been the result of lost proposition bets on individual performances. A number of states are combating this problem by banning prop bets outright and now the State of Maine is looking to join that group.
Late last week Maine State Senator Craig Hickman filed Maine Senate Bill 33, which aims to ban prop bets from the daily fantasy sports (DFS) market. Alternatively titled An Act to Amend the Laws Governing Fantasy Contests, Senate Bill 33 clarifies the state’s definitions of a prop bet and how it relates to DFS operators in general.
Under the terms of the bill, a proposition bet is defined as, “…a wager made regarding the occurrence or nonoccurrence of an event or circumstance during a sports event that is not dependent on the final outcome of the sports event, including a contest in which a contestant must choose, directly or indirectly, whether an individual athlete or a single team will surpass an identified statistical achievement, such as points scored.”
Maine Senate Bill 33 also takes on DFS operators offering de facto prop betting by updating the definition of a “fantasy contest.” Under the new definition, a fantasy contest is defined as a contest in which six or more people pay to participate. Maine, it should be noted, has been on the forefront holding DFS operators who blur the line between DFS and sports betting accountable for their actions.