NCAA Eyes Allowing Pro Sports Betting for Athletes and Staff
NCAA’s Division I Council proposed a major overhaul of its sports betting rules, potentially allowing student-athletes and university staff to place bets on professional sports like the NFL, NBA, and MLB without penalties.
A Shift in NCAA Policy
The change, sparked by an April directive from the Division I Board of Directors, reflects a growing acceptance of legal sports betting, now permitted in 38 states and Washington, D.C. Josh Whitman, University of Illinois athletic director and council chair, noted that the current rules were written when gambling was largely illegal, making them outdated in today’s landscape.
The proposal, set for a Division I Council vote by June 26 and further review by Divisions II and III in July, would maintain strict bans on betting on college sports, sharing insider information, or wagering on one’s own team or sport, with violations still triggering permanent ineligibility. If adopted in October, the rule change won’t apply retroactively, affecting only future bets.
Why the Change?
The NCAA’s push comes as legal betting surges, with two-thirds of college students reporting they’ve wagered in the past year. “We’re flooded with enforcement cases, often over small bets,” said Jon Duncan, NCAA’s VP of enforcement, highlighting the strain on resources.
The focus is shifting to bigger threats like match-fixing and prop bets, which President Charlie Baker has flagged as risking athlete harassment. Baker, who’s pushed for banning prop bets on college events, cited fans yelling at players over lost wagers, calling it “a problem.”
Dr. Deena Casiero, NCAA’s chief medical officer, emphasized a harm-reduction approach: “Deregulating pro sports betting lets schools focus on education and stigma reduction, helping athletes with gambling issues seek support without fear of punishment.”
The NCAA’s partnering with Genius Sports to monitor betting and offers e-learning modules via EPIC Global Solutions to educate athletes on gambling risks.
Pushback and Concerns
Not everyone’s on board. Some worry that allowing pro sports betting could lead to “slippage,” with athletes tempted to bet on college games, including their own.
About 6% of college students show signs of serious gambling issues, and easy access to betting apps doesn’t help. “Normalizing pro betting might open the door to bigger problems, like debts that pressure athletes to fix games,” an anonymous council source told Yahoo Sports, calling the proposal “hotly debated” and “not a slam dunk.”
Matt Banker, a former NCAA administrator, countered that pro sports betting isn’t the biggest threat to college athletics. Still, the NCAA’s cautious approach, keeping college betting off-limits and banning gambling ads during championships, aims to balance freedom with integrity.
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