NCAA Close to Allowing Division I Athletes to Bet on Professional Sports

The NCAA Division I Administrative Committee on Wednesday adopted a proposal to allow student-athletes and athletic department staff to bet on professional sports, a change in a long-standing policy that has become difficult to enforce with the spread of legal sports betting in the United States.

Divisions II and III are expected to consider the proposal at their respective meetings in late October, the NCAA said. If approved by the lower divisions, the rule will take effect on November 1.

Athletes and sports personnel are prohibited from betting on any sport, professional or collegiate, sponsored by the NCAA. Betting on college sports will remain prohibited.

The potential change comes as the NCAA has faced a growing number of alleged betting violations by student-athletes in recent years. In September, the NCAA announced that a Fresno State men’s basketball player manipulated his own performance for gambling purposes and conspired with two other players in a prop betting scheme. The NCAA is investigating 13 additional student-athletes from six schools regarding potential game violations related to integrity issues.

“Rules enforcement staff continue to investigate and resolve cases involving sports betting in a timely but thorough manner,” Jon Duncan, NCAA vice president of rules enforcement, said in a statement announcing the proposed rule change. “Law enforcement personnel are investigating a significant number of cases specifically relevant to the NCAA’s mission of fair competition, and our focus will remain on those cases and behaviors that more directly impact the integrity of college sports.”

NCAA officials stressed that the rule change does not constitute an endorsement of sports betting and that they remain concerned about the risks associated with all forms of sports gambling. The change was supported by the Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

“Abstinence-only approaches to social challenges for college-aged individuals are often not as effective as approaches focused on risk education and open dialogue,” Dr. Deena Casiero, NCAA chief medical officer, said in the release.