College Student Athletes Threatened After Sports Betting Begins in North Carolina

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Sports betting was legalized in North Carolina on March 11, 2023, and customers appear to be pretty excited about it – maybe just too excited. On the first day when bets were available, nearly $29 million was betted, while players spent nearly $200 million during the first week. 

Problems for college athletes:

With NC State, UNC and Duke participating in March Madness, customers could not only enjoy watching their favorite teams but also bet on the anticipated matchups.  

However, college athletes are experiencing various problems because the advent of sports betting has made fans more involved in the game than ever before. Since betting began, players have started receiving troubling messages related to their game performance.

UNC basketball player Armando Bacot said, "I thought I played pretty well the last game, but when I saw the DM, I got over 100 messages like pooping because there weren't enough rebounds."


He is one of the best players in the field with a record 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. However, none of this seems meaningful, as players get angry if the team loses only the last game and Bakot is targeted.

The rules allow bettors to bet on a variety of statistics in the game, including the number of points or rebounds a player has achieved during the game.

Bacot added that he understands the players. "I think it's a bit out of control, but at the same time ... I understand the point of that. You bet a lot on something, and you only choose one side, and someone messes it up."

Among the sportsbooks athletes use to bet on are some of the most popular books in the country, such as FanDuel, DraftKings, or Fanatics. Users of these apps know the risks of betting on games and certain statistics.

Prop Betting Advocates and Opponents:

According to Fox 8, Bryce Lennon, one of the bettors, said, "It definitely improves your stress level. I don't agree with what happens because threats or things like that happen, but I also don't agree with banning players from providing props or doing anything like that."

His favorite is college sports. However, although he does not support threatening or sending messages to players, he claims that he understands bettors who make a mess of the game take away their stress. 

On the other hand, NCAA President Charles Baker wants to ban prop betting in North Carolina and make them illegal. He issued a statement: "Sports betting issues are on the rise across the country, with sports betting continuing to threaten the integrity of the tournament and leading to student athletes and professional athletes being bullied."

Baker compared North Carolina law to other states, pointing out that some laws, such as Oregon, Colorado and Arizona, have already banned college prop betting.

But bettors are mostly against it. Another customer, Leslie Mitchell, said, "There are people who are very fierce. I'm not that fierce about it." 

According to Mitchell, betting on props is just a fun way to participate.

She said: "My favorite thing about college basketball is that I hope some player makes too many 3. Because it's so unlikely to happen. So you're picking a decent amount."


Bettors in North Carolina are very excited about the opportunity to bet, especially considering that legalization came in time for the March Madness and baseball season. 

However, threats do not only occur in North Carolina, as well as players. During the last season, J.B. Bickerstaff, the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA, reported receiving threats from gamblers as well. Bickerstaff, who has coached the Ohio team since 2020, reported threats to the league.

According to The Associated Press, he said, "They got my phone number and they sent me crazy messages about where I live and my kids and everything. So it's definitely a dangerous game we're walking in and it's a great line."  카지노사이트 순위

The coach said a gambler was found, but the charges were not pressed at the time.

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