NCAA Could Allow Pro Sports Betting for Athletes and Staff

Summary:

• The NCAA Division I Council has recommended lifting the ban on betting only on professional sports for athletes and staff.
• Betting on college sports and sharing insider information would still be strictly prohibited.
• The rule change requires further approval from Divisions II and III and formal adoption in October.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) may be rethinking its stance on sports betting, at least when it comes to professional sports.

The Division I Council recently put forward a proposal that would allow college athletes and staff to legally bet on professional leagues.

If approved, it would mark a major shift in the NCAA’s position on handling sports betting.

What’s Next

The rule change would need the green light from Division II and III leadership bodies and a formal stamp of approval from the Division I Council in October.

The proposed shift would allow betting on professional sports, but gambling on college games, including events that athletes or staff might be connected to, would still be off-limits.

Sharing inside information about college events with bettors would remain a serious violation.

The University of Illinois’ director of athletics and Division I Council chair Josh Whitman, believes the NCAA regulations banning sports betting at all levels “were written and adopted at a time when sports gambling was largely illegal nationwide”.

Whitman also said the group felt it was time to take a fresh look at its sports betting rules, especially with how common legal wagering has become across the country.

A big part of the review focused on the main differences between betting on pro sports and college games.

Throughout the process, the Council kept the well-being of student-athletes on top of their priorities, while also working to highlight the risks and potential harms of gambling.

Since the Supreme Court overturned the federal ban in 2018, no less than 38 U.S. states, along with Washington, D.C., have decided to legalize sports betting.

Not Everyone Gets a Free Pass

Still, not everyone’s free to bet, even if the rule changes go through.

Many college athletic contracts strictly ban gambling in any form. For instance, Alabama football coach Kalen DeBoer’s deal prohibits him and his staff from betting on any sports, college or pro, or associating with gamblers.

This proposed rule change comes in the wake of a major scandal in 2023, when over two dozen Iowa athletes were arrested for placing illegal bets, including some on college games.

Despite loosening some rules, the NCAA says it still plans to keep betting sponsors out of championship events to protect the integrity of the games.

Meanwhile, President Charlie Baker is urging lawmakers to ban prop bets on college sports altogether.