New York Lawmakers Are Creating a Prop Bet Task Force — Here’s What It Means for Your Betting Habits

New York lawmakers have taken a significant step toward scrutinizing one of sports betting’s most popular and controversial product categories. A bill that passed the state Assembly in March 2026 would establish a dedicated task force to study proposition wagers, with a particular focus on “under bets.” While nothing is being banned yet, bettors in the country’s largest legal sports betting market should pay attention to where this is heading.

What the Bill Actually Does

Assembly Bill A10538, sponsored by Assemblymember Bores, passed the New York Assembly on March 24, 2026, by a vote of 99-44. That same day it was delivered to the Senate and referred to the Senate Racing, Gaming and Wagering Committee. A companion measure, S10153, is also in play in the upper chamber.

The bill does not restrict or ban any form of wagering. Instead, it would create a formal task force, housed within the Rockefeller Institute of Government, charged with studying proposition bets — and specifically “under bets” — and submitting a public report by December 31, 2026, just before the next legislative session begins.

What Is an “Under Bet” and Why Is It Under the Microscope?

An under bet is a wager where you win if an athlete performs below a stated statistical threshold. If a sportsbook sets a player’s points total at 22.5 and you bet the under, you collect if that player scores 22 or fewer points. The same logic applies to rebounds, assists, yards, hits, strikeouts, minutes played, and dozens of other measurable outcomes.

The concern with under bets is straightforward: unlike overs, they can potentially be influenced by an athlete doing less — playing fewer minutes, avoiding contact, or underperforming on a given night. That creates a vulnerability to manipulation, and it is exactly what regulators and law enforcement have been watching unfold in real time.

The Scandals Behind the Legislation

Assemblymember Bores cited several high-profile integrity incidents as justification for the bill. In 2024, NBA player Jontay Porter received a lifetime ban after the league determined he had disclosed confidential medical information to benefit prop bettors. In late 2025, federal authorities filed charges against MLB players in connection with a micro-betting manipulation scheme. Then, in January 2026, federal prosecutors in Philadelphia indicted more than 20 people — including 12 college basketball players — in a prop bet bribery scheme.

NCAA President Charlie Baker has repeatedly called on states to ban prop bets on college athletes outright, noting that the organization has opened investigations into roughly 40 student-athletes across 20 schools. Several states have already acted: Louisiana, Maryland, Ohio, and Vermont have all enacted full bans on college player prop bets as of early 2026. New York, for now, is taking a different approach — study before restrict.

How the Task Force Would Be Structured

The panel would consist of four members: two appointed by the Governor, one by the Assembly Speaker, and one by the Senate majority leader. All appointments must be completed by July 1, 2026. Minority party members have raised objections to the composition, noting that no minority party representative is included on the panel. Bores has pushed back on that criticism, calling it “an extremely fast task force… meant to be fact-finding, fast moving, not partisan.”

The task force would examine a broad set of questions, touching everything from market data to athlete safety to consumer protection. Specifically, it is tasked with studying the types, prevalence, and volume of under bets placed in New York; assessing integrity risks and economic impacts; documenting impacts on athletes including harassment and threats; evaluating consumer protection and problem gambling considerations; reviewing the role of sports integrity monitoring organizations; and exploring potential regulatory solutions.

To do that work effectively, the task force must consult a range of stakeholders, including sportsbook operators, state regulators, academics, economists, consumer protection advocates, and sports leagues including the NCAA. The New York Gaming Commission and all mobile sports wagering licensees operating in the state are required to cooperate and provide data. The final report will be made publicly available on the Gaming Commission’s website.

What This Means for New York Bettors Right Now

If you are betting prop markets through any licensed sportsbook in New York today, nothing changes immediately. This is a study, not a restriction. Prop bets — including under bets on individual player statistics — remain fully legal and available across every platform operating in the state. Whether you are using a FanDuel promo code or a DraftKings promo code to get started, your access to prop markets has not changed.

That said, New York is the largest legal sports betting market in the United States, and what happens here tends to draw national attention. If the task force’s December 2026 report identifies significant integrity risks or recommends restrictions, the 2027 legislative session becomes a natural window for follow-up action. The pattern is consistent: other states that commissioned similar studies have moved toward regulation or outright bans on certain bet types in the sessions that followed.

Bettors who regularly play player props — particularly under bets — should keep an eye on the task force’s progress over the second half of 2026. For a full look at how New York sports betting is regulated and what platforms are licensed in the state, that context matters heading into what could be a consequential legislative year. Nothing is banned today, but the groundwork is clearly being laid for a more structured conversation about what prop markets should look like going forward.