In 2022, when the commonwealth legalized sports betting, Charlie Baker, the president of the NCAA, was the governor of Massachusetts. The moderate Republican acknowledges that he misjudged the extent to which sports betting permeated American culture and the college experience three years later, in a new position managing collegiate athletics.

In March 2023, Baker, a well-liked two-term governor, was named NCAA president. Examining the effects of sports gambling legalization on collegiate athletes and students was one of his first assignments.

“After my appointment, I went out and visited about 1,000 student athletes on campuses. So much of those conversations were about sports betting, and especially the abuse and harassment that came with it,” Baker said in an interview with Yahoo! Sports.

According to Baker, he found that professional and collegiate sports betting was common. He came to the conclusion that the hug resulted from legalizing.

“I do believe that when something is illegal, people think twice about it,” Baker said. “So, you can’t underestimate the impact all these commercials have had in making sports betting socially acceptable.”

Buyer's Remorse 

In April 2022, Baker signed the sports betting law for Massachusetts. Baker stated at the time that he was "happy to have the opportunity to sign this bill into law."

The sports betting bill in Massachusetts imposes a 20% state tax on online wagers and a 15% fee on in-person wagers. Sports gambling has generated over $300 million in state taxes for the commonwealth. It wasn't worth it, according to Baker.

Sports betting, according to Baker, "is everywhere," with organizations like DraftKings and FanDuel flooding television commercial breaks and ESPN and the like discussing in-game odds.

"I don’t think anybody was anticipating that it would be as ubiquitous as it became when DraftKings and FanDuel, in particular, created phone-based opportunities for people to bet on pretty much anything,” Baker said.

Props involving college athletes, or wagers that only rely on a player's performance, have long been opposed by the NCAA president. Prop bets, according to Baker, increase the likelihood that a player may be harassed, either online through posts and messages on social media or on the field or court by a close fan.

“It’s definitely where most of the really aggressive harassment directed at kids is coming from. And the second thing is the pressure that the underperforming prop bets put on young people. I don’t think that’s something that’s fully understood,” Baker said.

The Sports Betting Environment

Washington, DC, has legalized and regulated sports betting since the US Supreme Court ruled that states had the authority to decide whether it is permitted. However, as the holdout nations adopt a more cautious stance, the previous fast expansion has slowed.

Texas, Georgia, South Carolina, and California are notable states where sports betting is still prohibited.