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College Football Trading Surges as Player Prop Debate Grows

College football trading is surging on prediction markets despite a growing debate over whether bets on individual college athletes should be available at all.

Andrew Reid

Last Updated: October 2, 2026 7:30 AM EDT • 3 minute read

Pictured: Texas quarterback Arch Mannin celebrates after a college football game as we look at prediction market NCAA football player prop bets. Photo by Brianna Paciorka-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images

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College football trading is surging on prediction markets, adding urgency to a growing debate over whether bets on individual college athletes should be available at all.

Kalshi’s college football trading volume reached $447.7 million from Sept. 8–14, up from $100.2 million during the comparable period in 2025, according to a Sept. 15 NEXTPredict analysis of TickerTracker data. The comparison excluded combo markets, while the 2026 figures were labeled provisional.

Trading on prediction market apps is up as the NCAA continues pushing regulators to eliminate college player props, while states take markedly different approaches. These wagers focus on individual performances, such as passing yards, rather than game outcomes.

Football fuels trading records

Kalshi also set exchange-wide daily volume records of $2.43 billion on Sept. 12 and $2.46 billion on Sept. 13, according to TickerTracker data cited by The Event Horizon. Nearly $750 million in football trading occurred over those two days, with college football accounting for much of the Saturday activity.

Those figures cover the entire exchange. They also represent trading volume rather than revenue or liquidity. Volume measures completed trades, while liquidity reflects how readily contracts can be bought or sold at available prices.

Where college player props stand

At the best sports betting sites, availability depends heavily on the state.

DraftKings' current restrictions table lists college player props as unavailable in the Arizona sports betting, Colorado sports betting, Louisiana sports betting, Maryland sports betting, Massachusetts sports betting, New York sports betting, Ohio sports betting, Pennsylvania sports betting, Tennessee sports betting, and Virginia sports betting markets, among other jurisdictions. Indiana allows pregame college player props but prohibits live versions. Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, and Wyoming currently allow college player props, subject to specific restrictions in some states.

Missouri provides a useful example of the middle ground. The state allows college player props except when the game involves a Missouri college. In January, the Missouri Gaming Commission rejected an NCAA request to impose a broader ban, with Chair Jan Zimmerman saying the commission did not have enough information to make an informed decision.

The NCAA has pushed in the opposite direction. In January, President Charlie Baker urged state gambling regulators to eliminate individual college athlete props, citing integrity concerns, harassment and the potential for bettors to influence athletes.

New Jersey seeks a broader ban

The New Jersey sports betting market is also considering a statewide prohibition.

S1170, sponsored by Sens. Kristin Corrado and Joseph Cryan, would prohibit licensed sportsbooks from offering player-specific proposition bets on college sports. The bill was introduced Jan. 13 and referred to committee, where it remains pending.

The broader regulatory debate now extends beyond traditional sportsbooks.

On Jan. 14, Baker asked the Commodity Futures Trading Commission to suspend collegiate sports prediction markets until additional safeguards were established, including restrictions on college props, enhanced integrity monitoring and anti-harassment measures.

That puts platforms such as Kalshi in a separate but increasingly connected regulatory fight.

Written by:
Andrew Reid

Andrew Reid is a Publishing Editor at Sportsbook Review with over a decade of experience in sports media and betting analysis. Andrew focuses on NFL and Soccer player prop markets, specifically leveraging defensive efficiency matchups and high-danger scoring data to identify mispriced lines. In the UFC, he specializes in technical striking differentials and positional grappling control to find value in "Method of Victory" markets. He holds a degree in Kinesiology from Acadia University and a diploma from the College of Sports Media. Prior to joining SBR, Andrew served as a producer and on-air talent for the FNTSY Sports Network and as an editor for the USA Today Network.