Some states are moving to ban ‘proposition bets’, a type of side wager, but big firms are lobbying against it

College athletes are facing “significant abuse” amid a surge in harassment unleashed by America’s gambling boom, according to US sports officials who say students are increasingly subject to death threats, harassment and demands for money.

A handful of state regulators have moved to ban legal gambling platforms from offering certain types of bets on collegiate sports as a result of the “inherently problematic” surge in harassment of college athletes online, at venues and in dorms.