We should ban microbets and prop bets in gambling apps

Bets on specific in-game actions lead to addiction and player corruption

Just a couple weeks after the huge NBA gambling scandal that broke a few weeks ago, two MLB players on the Guardians have been indicted “on charges they took bribes from sports bettors to throw certain types of pitches, including tossing balls in the dirt instead of strikes, to ensure successful bets.”

“Micro bets” are a wager on specific actions — will this pitcher throw a curveball to this batter? Will this player commit a foul in this quarter? More generally, prop bets, which include micro bets and things like “Will this team score more than 2 runs in this inning?” are extremely profitable for sports betting apps because they often offer worse odds to bettors, can string actions together into ‘parlay’ bets, and, most of all, because prop bets create hundreds of potential betting moments throughout a game— are a way to keep bettors constantly engaged and continuously betting.

Prop bets are addiction engines and betting companies make the majority of profits from the 10% of bettors who are the most addicted.

Prop bets also encourage players to cheat. The rise of sports gambling apps has created huge incentives for professional athletes to intentionally manipulate specific game actions. While it can be difficult and risky for one player to attempt to throw an entire game, it’s easy for a player to do specific things at the right time: nothing seems suspicious about throwing a certain type of pitch in a certain inning to a certain batter.

The obvious fix, one that should be supported by law and order types, sports fans who want games to be fair, and anyone who worries about people being pulled into gambling addictions, is this: ban prop bets.

Prop bet bans could be passed in individual states or at a national level. Gov. Mike Dewine in Ohio has pushed to limit prop bets, though instead of passing good legislation he appears to be settling for a deal with gambling app companies to restrict prop bets over $100, which may help to some extent on the corruption side (it makes it harder to place huge bets on a manipulated outcome) but won’t help addicted gamblers: a couple dozen $100 bets per game can drain someone’s life savings in a matter of days.

Instead, we should pass complete bans on prop bets and parlays.

This, like other gambling policies that we’ve been writing about, is achievable consensus politics: it doesn’t ban gambling but it would end the most addictive and manipulative elements that lead to ruined lives.

For more of our gambling and addiction writing, see our writing on how dependent gambling apps are on the most addicted users and how these apps are designed to encourage addictive behaviors.