New York just fired a warning shot at the sports-betting industry. State regulators are ready to wipe out popular player prop bets and same-game parlays if they keep threatening the honesty of games.
The New York State Gaming Commission sent a blunt letter to every major sports league on Wednesday. The message: clean up these high-risk wagers or we will do it for you.
Player prop bets and same-game parlays now sit at the center of multiple scandals. The most public case involves Toronto Raptors backup Jontay Porter, who received a lifetime ban from the NBA in April after the league found he shared confidential information with bettors and deliberately limited his own playing time to cash bets.
That case alone triggered alarms. Gambling revenue in New York exploded past $2 billion in tax money since legal mobile betting launched in January 2022, yet regulators now fear the fastest-growing bet types also create the easiest path for corruption.
The commission pointed to “recent allegations, investigations and prosecutions” as the main reason for the sudden review. Officials worry that bets on single players in single games give athletes, coaches, or even trainers too much power to influence outcomes for profit.
What Bets Are on the Chopping Block
The state singled out two specific wager types:
- Game-specific individual player props (example: Will Aaron Judge hit a home run tonight?)
- Same-game multi-leg player parlays that combine several player props from one contest
These bets differ from traditional point spreads or over/under totals on team performance. A single player can control or fake an injury to hit or miss a prop threshold without hurting the final score much. That makes them perfect tools for anyone looking to fix part of a game quietly.
Regulators gave leagues until early next week to send formal requests for restrictions. If leagues stay quiet, New York says it will act alone and ban whatever it deems dangerous.
Leagues React Fast and Loud
The NBA, NFL, NCAA, MLB, NHL, and Major League Soccer all confirmed they received the letter. Several already support limits.
The NFL and NCAA have pushed for nationwide prop-bet bans on college athletes for years. Now even pro leagues appear ready to sacrifice some betting options to avoid more black eyes.
An NBA spokesperson told reporters the league “continues to work closely with regulators and operators to protect the integrity of our games.” Behind the scenes, sources say most leagues welcome the move because it shifts blame away from them if fans lose popular bets.
How This Hits Your Wallet and Phone
New York leads the country in sports-betting tax revenue. Last fiscal year alone, the state collected more than $860 million. Player props and same-game parlays drive a huge slice of that money.
FanDuel and DraftKings both list dozens of player props for every primetime game. Same-game parlays often carry the highest margins for the books and the biggest payouts that keep casual bettors hooked.
If New York pulls the plug, expect a sharp drop in handle, the total money wagered, and in tax dollars. Operators may shift promotions to safer team bets or rush to offer new products that stay inside the rules.
Regular fans will notice the change fast. No more easy $5 bet on your favorite pitcher to record over 6.5 strikeouts. No more 10-leg same-game parlay that turns twenty bucks into twenty thousand.
What Happens Next and When
The Gaming Commission set an aggressive timeline. Leagues must reply soon. Regulators plan to finish their review in weeks, not months.
Any ban would start in New York only, but the state matters so much that other big markets like New Jersey and Pennsylvania often follow its lead. A New York prohibition could spark a domino effect across the country.
Operators already brace for impact. Shares of DraftKings dipped more than 3 percent after the letter became public Wednesday afternoon.
The state made one thing crystal clear: protect the games first, worry about the money second.
This moment feels bigger than one state or one bet type. After years of explosive growth, sports betting faces its first real rollback. Fans love the action, leagues love the exposure, and states love the cash, but nobody loves another gambling scandal that drags athletes into court.
New York just drew a line in the sand. Players, leagues, and betting companies now have to decide which side they stand on before regulators decide for them.
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