NCAA moves closer to student-athletes, athletic department staffers legally betting on pro sports
The NCAA‘s Division I Administrative Committee adopted a proposal that would allow student-athletes and athletic department staff to gamble on professional sports, the organization announced Wednesday. In order for that to be finalized, the proposal must be approved by all three NCAA divisions. Divisions II and III are expected to consider it during their respective meetings at the end of the month.
The NCAA still prohibits all betting on collegiate sports, as well as sharing information about collegiate competitions with other bettors. Any rule change regarding gambling on professional sports would not impact NCAA regulations prohibiting advertising and sponsorships associated with sports betting for NCAA championships.
The D1 Administrative Committee, which was directed by the Division I Board of Directors to make the change, made it clear that approving this rule change “is not an endorsement of sports betting, particularly for student-athletes.”
“The Administrative Committee was clear in its discussion today that it remains concerned about the risks associated with all forms of sports gambling, but ultimately voted to reduce restrictions on student-athletes in this are to better align with their campus peers,” Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman, the committee chairman, said in a statement released by the NCAA. “This change allows the NCAA, the conferences, and the member schools to focus on protecting the integrity of college games while, at the same time, encouraging healthy habits for student-athletes who choose to engage in betting activities on professional sports.”
This change comes at the same time the NCAA enforcement staff’s caseload involving sports gambling violations has increased in recent years, much of which involve conduct that directly impacts the integrity of collegiate athletics. Last month, the NCAA Committee on Infractions announced the permanent revocation of eligibility former men’s basketball players who bet on their own games while also engagin in game manipulation for sports betting purposes. The NCAA enforcement staff is currently involved in investigating other similar violations for 13 student-athletes across six other NCAA institutions.
“The enforcement staff continues to investigate and resolve cases involving sports betting quickly but thoroughly,” NCAA vice president of enforcement Jon Duncan said in the release. “Enforcement staff are investigating a significant number of cases that are specifically relevant to the NCAA’s mission of fair competition, and our focus will remain on those cases and those behaviors that impact the integrity of college sports most directly.”
