Sports
Missouri regulators reject ban on college athlete prop bets
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri gambling regulators on Thursday rejected a request from the NCAA to restrict bets on the performance of college athletes in response to recent betting scandals, but left open the possibility of revisiting the issue as the state’s fledgling sports betting market gets better established.
The action by the Missouri Gaming Commission came just a week after the NCAA sent a letter to state gambling oversight boards asking them to ban college athlete prop bets – a popular type of wager focused on what individual players will do in a game, like scoring a certain amount of points in basketball or surpassing a particular passing yardage in football. The NCAA also urged states to ban certain other specialty bets, such as wagers on whether a team will trail by a particular point spread at halftime of a game.
The NCAA contends such bets are ripe for manipulation by athletes facing pressure, harassment or bribes from bettors. It pointed to last week’s federal indictment of more than two dozen people for alleged bribery, wire fraud and conspiracy in a scheme that involved more than 39 players on more than 17 NCAA Division I men’s basketball teams attempting to rig more than 29 games.
But Missouri gambling regulators said they didn’t want to change the state’s rules less than two months after legal sports betting launched in the state. Missouri became the 39th – and latest – state to allow sports betting on Dec. 1 under a state constitutional amendment that narrowly won voter approval.
“I just don’t feel that I have enough information to grant a request by the NCAA to prohibit this type of sports wagering, because I don’t know enough yet,” commission chair Jan Zimmerman said.
Legal sports betting has spread quickly across the U.S. since the Supreme Court cleared the way for states to adopt it in 2018. Through the first 11 months of 2025, legal sportsbooks generated $15 billion in revenue, up over 17% from the same period a year earlier, according to the American Gaming Association. Missouri has not yet reported its initial sports betting revenues.
Prop bets on professional athletes are currently allowed in every state that has legalized sports betting. But states have widely differing rules for bets on college athletes.
More than a dozen states place no limits on collegiate prop bets while nearly an equal number prohibit all such bets. Missouri is among several states that fall somewhere in between. It prohibits prop bets on athletes playing in games involving Missouri colleges and universities but allows them for all other collegiate games.
The NCAA in 2023 began encouraging states to adopt restrictions on bets involving college athletes. Since then, Louisiana, Maryland, Ohio and Vermont have joined the ranks of states banning individual prop bets on college athletes.
NCAA President Charlie Baker said in his recent letter to state gambling regulators that his office “regularly hears concerns from schools and student-athletes across the country on the impacts of sports betting,” including about prop bets.
Rather than providing grounds to restrict bets on college athletes, the Sports Betting Alliance said the case highlights how legal sportsbooks can help catch instances of wrongdoing that might otherwise go undetected if people placed prop bets through unregulated bookies.
The alliance – which includes Bet365, DraftKings, and Fanatics Betting & Gaming – argued that the NCAA’s request didn’t meet Missouri’s criteria for regulatory revisions and “should not trigger a radical change” to the state’s new sports betting industry.
Others also expressed opposition to the betting limits backed by the NCAA.
Restricting prop bets on college athletes would drive gamblers to “offshore and illegal operators” with fewer consumer protections, Kansas City sports wagerer Chuck Kucera said in written comments to the commission.
“The NCAA’s efforts would be better directed toward player education, internal compliance, and enforcement of its own rules,” Kucera wrote.
Nebraska guard Braden Frager missed the second half of the Cornhuskers’ 76-66 win over Washington on Wednesday night because of a sprained left ankle.
Coach Fred Hoiberg said Frager would be evaluated on Thursday. His status was uncertain for Saturday’s game at Minnesota.
Frager, the Cornhuskers’ second-leading scorer at 13.3 points per game, came down awkwardly on his foot during a scramble for the ball under the basket and was on the bench in a walking boot in the second half.
“You feel for someone who puts so much time into his craft,” Hoiberg said. “To see him go down like that was tough and see and the emotion that came out. He has a passion for the game and plays with a swagger, and we feel for him but we’ll get through it.”
Frager, who plays 25 minutes per game off the bench, has been one of the breakout stars as the Huskers have gotten off to an 19-0 start and extended their win streak to 23 games with a 76-66 victory over the Huskies.
Frager had two of his best performances in the Huskers’ previous two games, scoring 20 points in a win over Northwestern and a career-high 23 with seven 3-pointers against Oregon.
“Braden has given us a lot this season on both ends of the floor and everybody has to be ready to step up in his absence,” Hoiberg said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Senegal coach Pape Thiaw has defended his team’s walkoff during the Africa Cup of Nations final, saying it was an emotional decision taken in the chaos of the moment.
Last Sunday, Senegal left the field in stoppage time when Morocco was awarded a penalty, just moments after a potential trophy-winning Senegal goal was ruled out.
“It was never my intention to go against the principles of the game I love so much,” Thiaw wrote on Instagram on Thursday. “I simply tried to protect my players from injustice. What some may perceive as a violation of the rules is nothing more than an emotional reaction to the bias of the situation. After deliberation, we decided to resume the match and go for the trophy.”
Sadio Mané persuaded the Senegal players back so Brahim Díaz could take Morocco’s penalty. Díaz’s effort was saved in the last action of normal time then Pape Guaye scored in extra time for Senegal to win 1-0.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino the next day slammed Senegal’s walkoff and the Moroccan Football Federation said it was pursuing legal action with FIFA and the Confederation of African Football because it “significantly impacted the normal flow of the match and the players’ performance.”
The decision to award the penalty led to fights around the field with rival players involved on the sideline while stewards battled with Senegalese behind one of the goals. Some fans managed to get onto the field where the fighting continued, and some were dragged away.
The Senegal walkoff ultimately led to a 15-minute stop in play, but there was still fighting ongoing when Brahim took his unsuccessful sport kick.
“We experienced an exceptional tournament with magnificent organization, which ended unfortunately in a dramatic fashion,” Thiaw said.
The Senegal Football Federation decried a lack of “fair play” from the Moroccan hosts before the final, adding to the Teranga Lions’ sense of injustice when their late goal was ruled out and the penalty was awarded against them.
“I apologize if I have offended anyone,” Thiaw said of his team’s walkoff, “but football lovers will understand that emotion is an integral part of this sport.”
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The National Football League has been inching closer and closer to an 18-game season, and if it were up to Robert Kraft, it would happen as soon as possible.
The New England Patriots owner sounded as if he was predicting the change could come sooner rather than later, while also saying that more international games could be on the horizon.
“We’re going to push like the Dickens now to make international more important with us. Every team will go to 18 [regular season games] and two [preseason games] and eliminate one of the preseason games. Every team every year will play one game overseas,” Kraft told Boston radio’s “The Sports Hub.”
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Owner Robert Kraft of the New England Patriots looks on prior to the NFL game between the Patriots and the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, New York, on Oct. 5, 2025. (Bryan Bennett/Getty Images)
Kraft said the changes would be “so we can continue to grow the cap and keep our labor happy.”
“Because we’re sort of getting near the top here with the coverage. Ninety-three of the top 100 programs on television are NFL games. Think about that. It’s really amazing,” Kraft said. “And you look at the size of our crowds versus the other sports and it’s really, you know we had that Amazon game on Thursday a couple weeks ago. 31 million people streamed. So as long as we can keep growing revenue, we can keep long-term labor peace.”
A wide view of play in the first half during an NFL International Series game at Wembley Stadium. (Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images)
ELI MANNING DISHES ON STATE OF THE GIANTS AFTER ‘UNBELIEVABLE’ JOHN HARBAUGH HIRE
All 32 teams hve played at least one game overseasons, with the Jacksonville Jaguars leading the way at 14 contests.
The push for an 18-game season came upon the realization that adding a game to the end of the regular season would extend the Super Bowl to Presidents’ Day weekend, meaning that the following day would be an off day for the majority of the workforce.
There have been numerous arguments to make the day after the Super Bowl a national holiday, but there’s never been legitimate movement.
A detailed view of the Super Bowl LX logo on Sept. 14, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Super Bowl 60 will be held in the San Francisco Bay Area. (Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images)
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Teams played 14-game seasons from 1961 to 1977 and then 16 games until the 2020 season, implementing a 17th game in 2021.
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