The NCAA announced Wednesday that it will push for stricter sports betting laws and regulations in what it says will protect the integrity of its sports and student-athletes.
Sports betting laws have been debated across the country and passed in most of them, as more than the United States have laws allowing gambling on sporting events. The NCAA says that while most states have “robust safeguards and integrity provisions,” many do not.
“The NCAA is making changes to help student-athletes make smart decisions when it comes to sports betting. “However, given the explosive growth of this new industry, we are committed to working with lawmakers, regulators and industry leaders to protect student-athletes from harassment and threats,” NCAA President Charlie Baker said in a statement. “Some states have extensive policies in place to protect student-athletes from harassment and coercion and to protect the integrity of the games, but as more states pass or change laws, more needs to be done.”
What sports betting regulations will the NCAA advocate for?
The regulations the NCAA wants to implement in states where betting is allowed are:
- Mandatory reporting hotlines for gambling authorities to report behavior to law enforcement.
- Increased penalties for bettors who harass student-athletes.
- Mandatory training for operators to recognize harassment.
There are some stricter rules that the NCAA has in place for sports betting as a whole, such as more regulations to prevent people age 21 and younger from betting, as well as more information about the problems that gambling can cause. The NCAA also wants revenue from sports betting to go toward “education to support the higher-risk college student population, including student-athletes.”
Problems with sports betting in the NCAA
The advocacy for stricter sports betting laws comes as the NCAA has conducted several investigations into gambling among athletes and coaches. Former Alabama baseball head coach Brad Bohannon was fired after he was involved in suspicious betting against the team. Cincinnati Baseball also had an investigation into two employees. In Iowa and Iowa State, several athletes have been investigated for possible sports betting and seven current and former athletes have been criminally charged.
In July, The Associated Press found that there had been 175 IT sports betting breaches since 2018.
The NCAA is considering re-examining gambling penalties
In addition to endorsing gambling, the NCAA is considering making changes to the penalties athletes face for sports betting, not taking into account the penalties levied against their own teams. The possible changes could be:
- Eliminate penalties that result in student-athletes being disqualified from competition on a first offense – regardless of the dollar value of bets and including bets placed on other sports at a student-athlete’s school. Instead, athletes would have to inform themselves about the rules and prevention of sports betting.
- A second violation could potentially result in penalties depending on the dollar value of the bet(s).
- A third or subsequent violation could result in loss of eligibility for an entire season.
The new guidelines would need to be approved by the NCAA Council to be implemented.
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