Washington SB 6137: College Athlete Prop Bets Ban Explained

Washington State’s legislature has passed Senate Bill 6137, a targeted law that strips prop bets on individual college athletes from the state’s legal sports betting market while keeping team-level college wagering intact. The bill, now on Governor Jay Inslee’s desk, also criminalizes bribery and threats connected to sports wagers, a direct response to integrity scandals that have rattled professional and collegiate sports across the United States in 2024.

SB 6137 Passes Washington Legislature, Banning College Athlete Prop Bets

What Senate Bill 6137 Actually Prohibits

Senate Bill 6137 draws a clear line between two categories of college sports wagering. Bettors in Washington can still place wagers on game outcomes involving in-state college teams, but they can no longer bet on individual player performance metrics such as rushing yards, passing completions, points scored, or any other stat tied to a specific athlete’s on-field output. The prohibition extends to coaching decisions, meaning bets on whether a head coach will call a timeout at a specific moment or make a particular substitution are also off the table under the new law.

The bill passed both chambers of the Washington State Legislature before landing with Governor Jay Inslee for final approval. Inslee has not publicly opposed the measure, and state lawmakers framed the legislation as a protective step for student athletes who lack the professional resources and security infrastructure that NFL or NBA players receive. The distinction matters because college athletes, many of them teenagers or young adults, face unique vulnerability to harassment when bettors hold financial stakes in their individual performances.

Washington’s approach is surgical rather than sweeping. Rather than eliminating college sports betting entirely, SB 6137 targets the specific bet type that integrity experts and player advocates have identified as the highest-risk category. Prop bets on individual athletes generate detailed, real-time scrutiny of young players, creating pressure and, in documented cases, threats when outcomes do not match bettor expectations.

Criminal Penalties and Integrity Enforcement

Beyond the wagering restrictions, SB 6137 introduces explicit criminal liability for anyone who threatens or bribes an athlete, coach, referee, or team official in connection with a sports wager. This provision upgrades what was previously a gray area in Washington law into a clearly prosecutable offense. The legislature modeled this language on integrity frameworks already operating in regulated markets in Europe and Australia, where criminal sanctions for match-fixing have existed for over a decade.

The criminal penalty clause signals that Washington lawmakers view sports betting integrity as a public safety issue, not merely a consumer protection matter. Threats directed at athletes over prop bet outcomes have appeared in documented cases across multiple states since legal sports betting expanded following the Supreme Court’s 2018 Murphy v. NCAA ruling, which struck down the federal Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act. Washington’s bill directly addresses the gap that ruling created by giving prosecutors a specific statute to apply.

Real-World Impact on College Athletes, Coaches, and Washington Bettors

College Athletes Face Reduced Harassment Risk

The most immediate beneficiaries of SB 6137 are student athletes at Washington’s major programs, including the University of Washington Huskies and Washington State Cougars. Under the previous regulatory framework, a wide receiver’s drop in the fourth quarter could trigger a wave of hostile messages from bettors who had wagered on that player’s reception total. The National Collegiate Athletic Association reported in 2023 that a significant number of college athletes across the country had received threats or harassment tied to sports betting activity, though the organization has not published a single consolidated national figure.

Coaches also gain protection under the bill’s prohibition on coaching decision prop bets. A defensive coordinator’s choice to blitz on third-and-long, for example, could previously be the subject of a wager, creating a financial incentive for bad actors to pressure or manipulate staff. Removing that bet type eliminates a specific vector for corruption that professional leagues have flagged repeatedly in integrity reports submitted to state gaming regulators.

Washington Bettors Lose a Popular Bet Category

For recreational bettors in Washington, the bill removes a product that sportsbooks have aggressively marketed since the state legalized sports wagering. Player prop bets on college athletes, covering statistics like passing yards, three-pointers made, or rushing attempts, have grown into one of the highest-volume bet types at legal US sportsbooks. Research published by the American Gaming Association in 2023 found that prop bets accounted for a growing share of total sports betting handle, with some operators reporting that player props represented 30 to 40 percent of their college football wagering volume during peak weeks.

Washington bettors retain access to spread bets, moneylines, totals, and futures on college team performance, so the market does not disappear. The practical effect is a narrower menu for college sports wagering, which some bettors will find frustrating but which regulators argue is a necessary trade-off for protecting athlete welfare and market integrity.

How Washington Compares to Other States Restricting College Prop Bets in 2024

Washington is not acting in isolation. Multiple states have moved to restrict or eliminate college athlete prop bets since 2023, driven by a combination of integrity investigations and advocacy from collegiate sports organizations. The debate mirrors actions in Massachusetts, which is actively considering a total ban on proposition bets for college sports, going further than Washington’s targeted approach. GamblingNews.com has tracked these legislative developments across multiple states as part of broader coverage of the US sports betting integrity debate.[1]

The Cleveland Guardians integrity investigation added urgency to this national conversation. Suspicious prop betting patterns involving Guardians athletes drew scrutiny from both the MLB and state gaming regulators, illustrating that the problem extends beyond college sports into professional leagues.[1] That investigation intensified pressure on state legislators who had been slow-walking college prop bet restrictions, accelerating the timeline for bills like SB 6137 in Washington.

Ohio enacted restrictions on in-state college player props in 2023 after the Ohio State University and other programs lobbied the legislature directly. Maryland went further in 2022, banning all college player prop bets regardless of whether the school is located in-state. Washington’s SB 6137 aligns more closely with Ohio’s model, targeting in-state programs specifically rather than applying a blanket prohibition on all college prop wagering across every institution.

The patchwork of state-level rules creates a compliance challenge for national sportsbook operators like DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM, which must geofence specific bet types based on a bettor’s physical location. A Washington resident crossing into Idaho or Oregon can legally access college prop bets that are unavailable at home, a jurisdictional gap that federal sports betting legislation could theoretically close but has not yet addressed.

What Changing Prop Bet Rules Mean for Online Sports Bettors

For online sports bettors who prioritize fast, transparent payouts and a clean betting experience, regulatory changes like SB 6137 serve as a useful reminder to verify which bet types remain available in your jurisdiction before placing wagers. Washington residents using licensed online sportsbooks will see college athlete prop bets removed from the platform once the governor signs the bill into law, and operators face penalties for continuing to offer prohibited markets.

Bettors who favor fast payout platforms should also pay attention to how operators respond to integrity-driven regulatory changes. Platforms that adapt quickly to new state rules, update their bet menus accurately, and process withdrawals without delay on permitted wagers demonstrate the operational reliability that distinguishes reputable licensed operators from offshore alternatives. The broader trend toward tighter integrity regulation in US sports betting rewards bettors who stick to licensed, compliant platforms rather than seeking prohibited markets through unlicensed channels.

Key Takeaways

• Washington Senate Bill 6137 bans prop bets on individual college athlete performance metrics and coaching decisions while preserving team-level college wagering in the state.
• Governor Jay Inslee must sign SB 6137 before it becomes law; the bill passed both chambers of the Washington State Legislature in 2024.
• The bill criminalizes threats and bribery connected to sports wagers, creating explicit prosecutorial tools that did not previously exist under Washington law.
• Massachusetts is considering a total college prop bet ban, a stricter approach than Washington’s targeted restriction on individual player and coaching props.
• The Cleveland Guardians integrity investigation, involving suspicious prop betting patterns tied to MLB athletes, accelerated legislative action on sports betting integrity across multiple states in 2024.
• Maryland enacted a full college player prop bet ban in 2022, making it one of the earliest states to restrict this bet category; Ohio followed with in-state restrictions in 2023.
• National sportsbook operators including DraftKings, FanDuel, and BetMGM must geofence prohibited bet types by state, creating a fragmented product experience for bettors who travel across state lines.

Frequently Asked Questions

The Bottom Line

Washington’s SB 6137 represents a calculated, evidence-based response to a documented integrity problem rather than a reflexive restriction on sports betting. By targeting the specific bet type that exposes college athletes to harassment and creates manipulation risk, while preserving the broader college wagering market, the state legislature has produced a model that other states will likely study closely. Massachusetts, Ohio, and Maryland have each taken their own approaches, and the variation across states reflects genuine policy disagreement about how far restrictions should extend.

The Cleveland Guardians investigation and similar cases have made clear that suspicious prop betting patterns are not hypothetical risks. They are active, documented threats to the integrity of American sports. Governor Inslee’s signature on SB 6137 would make Washington one of the more comprehensive states on athlete protection, combining bet-type restrictions with criminal penalties in a single legislative package.

The national picture remains fragmented, and federal action on sports betting integrity has not materialized despite years of advocacy from the NCAA, major professional leagues, and state regulators. Until Congress acts, individual states like Washington will continue setting the rules, and bettors, operators, and athletes will all operate under a patchwork of regulations that shifts depending on which side of a state line you stand on.

Sources

1. GamblingNews.com – Reporting on Washington SB 6137, state-by-state college prop bet restrictions, and the Cleveland Guardians integrity investigation.