Temptation and Greed: The Issue with Player Prop Bets

After a series of landmark cases, the proverbial dam of sports betting has burst, unleashing a flood of money and controversy across the nation.¹ What was once unthinkable is now as common as the air we breathe. Millions of Americans bet billions of dollars annually, often with just a swipe on their smartphones.² The masses are hooked. The irresistible draw of watching one’s favorite sports team while the opportunity to win money is on the line has created an insatiable appetite for sports betting.³ However, this widespread adoption has also fostered an environment ripe for corruption and greed.⁴ This article will explore how the prevalence of sports betting has unlocked new excitement for millions, while simultaneously threatening the integrity of the games they cherish.  

Sports Betting is Inherently Risky Behavior 

Sports betting is inherently risky. This is because there is no guarantee that the money wagered will pay off, causing many people to lose significant sums. The thrill of winning is a double-edged sword that can easily lead one to become addicted⁵, leading many individuals to bet irresponsibly—often at the expense of those dependent on them.⁶ Interestingly, notwithstanding the aforementioned circumstances as being morally distasteful, a more invidious form of sports betting is when athletes bet on themselves, encourage those close to them to place bets, or share insider information (such as unreported injuries) that gives the athlete or those privy to them an unfair advantage. 

Current Scandal 

The sports world is currently entangled in a series of betting scandals. Recently, an indictment was unsealed charging professional baseball players Emmanuel Clase de la Cruz and Luis Leandro Ortiz Ribera with wire fraud conspiracy, honest services wire fraud conspiracy, conspiracy to influence sports contests through bribery, and money laundering conspiracy.⁷ They allegedly participated in a scheme to rig bets on pitches thrown during Major League Baseball (MLB) games.⁸ These allegations have caused shockwaves to reverberate in the sports community from athletes to casual fans alike, and for good reason. As the prosecuting United States Attorney on the case noted:  

Professional athletes . . . hold a position of trust — not only with their teammates and their professional colleagues, but with fans who believe in fair play. In doing so, the defendants deprived the Cleveland Guardians and Major League Baseball of their honest services. They defrauded the online betting platforms where the bets were placed. And they betrayed America’s pastime. Integrity, honesty, and fair play are part of the DNA of professional sports. When corruption infiltrates the sport, it brings disgrace not only to the participants but damages the public trust in an institution that is vital and dear to all of us. Today’s charges make clear that our Office will continue to vigorously prosecute those who corrupt sports through illegal means.9  

Effectively, these players rigged their performances in certain games so they and their inner circles could profit from deliberately poor play. It is deeply confounding why these athletes would jeopardize their careers for short-term financial gain. Still, whether due to greed or ignorance, they demonstrated a clear lack of respect for both fair play and betting integrity. The use of player prop bets enables this gambling scheme. Simply put, a player prop bet allows someone to wager not on whether a team will win or lose, but on the individual performance of players. For example, prop bets can be placed on how many strikeouts a pitcher will have, how many balls they will throw, or even how many walks they will give up to opposing batters. The result is a perverse incentive structure where athletes may be tempted to perform poorly on purpose—under the guise of having ‘a bad game’—to profit financially. 

Unfortunately, this greed is not only in the MLB. Recently, illegal betting schemes have infiltrated the NBA. Notable figures such as NBA guard Terry Rozier of the Miami Heat, Chauncey Billups, the head coach of the Portland Trail Blazers, and retired NBA player Damon Jones have recently been indicted in the Eastern District of New York by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for wire fraud conspiracy and money laundering conspiracy. They are accused of using inside information from NBA players and coaches to profit from illegal betting activities. United States Attorney Nocella stated that “the defendants turned professional basketball into a criminal betting operation, using private locker rooms and medical information to enrich themselves and cheat legitimate sportsbooks.” She further mentioned that the illegal gambling scheme “was a sophisticated conspiracy involving athletes, coaches, and intermediaries who exploited confidential information for profit.”¹⁰  

Instead of waiting idly for the next gambling scandal to undermine confidence in their professional league, the NFL has been proactive in trying to avoid the issues currently affecting the MLB and NBA. In recent years, the NFL has handed out suspensions to players (e.g., Jameson Williams of the Detroit Lions and Calvin Ridley of the Tennessee Titans) for violating its gambling policy. Moreover, it has been reported that the NFL recently sent a memo to team officials reminding them of the league’s stance on permitted gambling with its sportsbook partners, particularly emphasizing the problems posed by certain prop bets, as highlighted by the recent federal indictments of MLB and NBA players. However, the league hasn’t stopped there; in its memo, the NFL made it clear that it is actively shaping public policy. The NFL has been communicating with numerous state lawmakers, regulators, and sports betting partners to limit, and where possible, prohibit prop bets related to the NFL.¹¹  

Conclusion 

It appears that the widespread and easily accessible nature of player prop sports betting has created a persistent problem: athletes manipulating their performances, thereby threatening the integrity of the game. But who will address this issue, and how? Will it fall to state legislatures or federal authorities? Given recent developments, it is likely that federal agencies such as the FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office will lead prosecutions of complex and egregious sports betting schemes that violate multiple federal laws. However, as sports gambling becomes increasingly pervasive in society, these recent indictments are likely only the beginning if significant changes are not implemented. Lasting improvements to protect the fairness and integrity of professional sports—so important to millions—will require collaboration between state legislatures, legal sportsbooks, and major professional leagues. These groups must work together to ban highly individualized player prop bets that are particularly vulnerable to manipulation (e.g., pitch speeds, specific injuries, penalties, or whether a quarterback’s first pass is incomplete).¹² Only through such collective action can we reduce the temptation and greed that fuel dishonest behavior and erode the sanctity of our professional leagues. 

Sources:

[1] David Purdum, Supreme Court Strikes Down Federal Law Prohibiting Sports Gambling, ESPN (May 15, 2018, at 12:15 ET), https://www.espn.com/chalk/story/_/id/23501236/supreme-court-strikes-federal-law-prohibiting-sports-gambling. 

[2] Greg Garrison, 2025 Sports Betting Survey: 1 in 4 Sports Bettors Have Missed Bill Payments Due to Wagers, U.S. News (Jul. 23, 2025, at 09:00 ET), https://www.usnews.com/banking/articles/2025-sports-betting-and-debt-survey. 

[3] See generally The Rise of Sports Gambling: Understanding the New Addiction Lands, Lee Health (Feb. 10, 2025), https://www.leehealth.org/health-and-wellness/healthy-news-blog/top-trends/the-rise-of-sports-gambling-understanding-the-new. 

[4] See generally Vice Crime and American Law, UNIV. N.C. GREENSBOROUGH, https://web.uncg.edu/dcl/courses/vicecrime/m2/part8.asp (last visited Nov. 14, 2025). 

[5] Issac Rose-Berman, The Rise of Sports Betting is a Growing Public Health Crisis, Stat News (Nov. 11, 2025), https://www.statnews.com/2025/11/11/sports-betting-apps-public-health-crisis/. 

[6] See generally Dylan Walsh, Online Sports Betting is Draining Household Savings, Kellogg Insight (Dec. 1, 2024), https://insight.kellogg.northwestern.edu/article/online-sports-betting-is-draining-household-savings. 

[7] Two Current Major League Baseball Players Charged in Sports Betting and Money Laundering Conspiracy, U.S. Attorney’s Office E. Dist. of N.Y. (Nov. 9, 2025), https://www.justice.gov/usao-edny/pr/two-current-major-league-baseball-players-charged-sports-betting-and-money-laundering. 

[8] Id. 

[9] Id. 

[10] Doug Greenberg, In Memo, NFL Details Efforts to Curb Prop Bets Amid Wider Betting Probes, ESPN (Nov. 13, 2025), https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/46957763/in-memo-nfl-details-efforts-curb-prop-betting-light-wider-gambling-probes. 

[11] Id. 

[12] Id.