NCAA Could Change Rules Concerning Betting On Professional Sports
The NCAA is considering lifting its ban on betting on professional sports after years of maintaining a strict stance against sports betting. The change could come as soon as late June, meaning college athletes could begin betting on their favorite NFL teams for the upcoming season.
A report from Sports Illustrated cited multiple sources saying that the Division 1 Board of Directors met last month and began formulating a rule change on the matter. It has now forwarded the proposed changes to the D-I Council, which could implement the law by next month.
Under current rules, athletes, staff and coaches cannot bet on any professional sports that the NCAA offers, including:
- Football
- Basketball
- Baseball
- Hockey
- Soccer
- Golf
- Tennis
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Board favored the rule change in April
According to the SI report, the D-I board supported new “legislation to deregulate the prohibition on wagering on professional sports” in April, voting 21-1 during a video conference. The proposed legislation makes no changes to the NCAA’s rules on college wagering, which would remain off limits.
The proposed changes come as 39 states have legalized sports betting, which has become more commonplace in our culture. More student-athletes have access to legal sportsbooks, and the number of violations on professional sports wagers has increased, creating an overwhelming number of minor infractions for the NCAA and universities to handle.
MB Sports Consulting’s Matt Banker called the change a “cultural and philosophical recalibration for college athletics – both in terms of priorities and resources.”
Rather than punishing college athletes for wagering on professional sports, it can put those efforts toward maintaining the integrity of its own competitions. Betting comes with risks, but a player wagering on professional sports does not pose a threat to the outcome of his or her own games.
The meeting also led the board to ask NCAA staff to account for cases awarding safe harbor, limited immunity or reduced penalties for violators who seek help for problem gambling.
Punishments for betting have lessened before
The NCAA has always prohibited sports betting for its student-athletes, including since PASPA was repealed in 2018. However, it changed its rules in May 2023 to offer lesser punishments for many violations related to betting on professional sports.
Before the changes, any student found to be engaging in sports betting was subject to suspension for half of their season. Any student wagering more than $500 could have received a season-long suspension.
The changes softened those punishments. Anyone who bets $500 or less now risks being suspended for 10% of their season. Wagers between $501 and $800 result in a suspension of 20% of their season, and players who bet more than $801 lose 30% of their season.
Will new NCAA betting rules prevent future scandals?
Several scandals have made their way into the news in recent years regarding NCAA student-athletes illegally betting on sports.
In the summer of 2023, seven current and former athletes from the University of Iowa and Iowa State University had charges filed against them by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation. The DCI found these players were concealing their identities and wagering on events from their own schools.
One of those players, Enyi Uwazurike, was the 2022 fourth-round pick for the Denver Broncos, and also received suspensions from the NFL for betting on his team during his rookie year. Uwazurike was reinstated for the 2024 season.
More recent instances of suspicious betting activity involve the North Carolina A&T, Mississippi Valley State and Eastern Michigan basketball programs, and a case with multiple Fresno State University basketball players admitting to placing daily fantasy sports wagers on their own performances.
Of course, these examples represent student-athletes wagering on NCAA contests or outcomes, not professional sporting events. Such instances will likely continue, and the NCAA will remain vigilant about prosecuting them.
All that said, giving athletes the outlet to bet on professional sports responsibly offers them a way to partake without breaking the rules.
