The integrity of college sports is being tested with the emergence of legal sports betting.
Iowa State University quarterback Hunter Dekkers has been charged with tampering with records following an investigation into sports betting by college athletes and personnel, according to The Des Moines Register.
The probe by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigations accuses Dekkers of placing wagers on Iowa State events via online sports betting sites.
Dekkers, a redshirt junior who threw for 3,044 yards in 2022, allegedly placed wagers on DraftKings that amounted to more than $2,799. The wagers included Iowa State’s matchup against Oklahoma State in 2021. Iowa State would beat Oklahoma State 24-21 with Dekkers not seeing any action. Dekkers allegedly placed 26 total wagers on Iowa State sporting events.
“Hunter Dekkers denies the criminal charge brought against him,” the quarterback’s attorney Mark Weinhardt told the Register in a statement. “He will plead not guilty to that charge because he is in fact not guilty of that charge. This charge attempts to criminalize a daily fact of American life. Millions of people share online accounts of all kinds every day.”
Dekkers joins two other Iowa State athletes embroiled in controversy. Iowa State sophomore offensive lineman Dodge Sauser allegedly placed 12 wagers on his team in 2022. According to the complaint, the redshirt sophomore also used DraftKings to place wagers that totaled $3,075.
Iowa State sophomore wrestler Paniro Johnson is also accused of tampering with records after allegedly placing 1,283 bets. The wagers, which included Iowa State events, totaled $45,640.
Wagering issues have also found their way to the University of Iowa campus. Iowa kicker Aaron Blom has been accused of underage sports betting, according to a report from The Gazette. In 2021, the Iowa native allegedly placed roughly 170 wagers, which included the Iowa vs. Iowa State football game. The Iowa Hawkeyes would go on to win the game with a 27-17 score.
Blom allegedly used an account registered with his mother’s information to place the wagers.
Potential punishment
The investigation into Iowa State athletes comes after the NCAA in June changed its athlete reinstatement guidelines for sports betting violations.
The governing body’s previous guidelines stipulated that student-athletes “who wagered on sports at any level would lose one full season of collegiate eligibility”. Those guidelines were implemented before the U.S. Supreme Court sanctioned sports betting in 2018.
The NCAA’s new guidelines call for student-athletes who wager on their own sport at a different institution to be required to receive education on the NCAA’s wagering rules and prevention policies in order to be reinstated.
On the other hand, student-athletes who influence the outcome of their own games or provide wagering information to people in betting could face permanent loss of eligibility. The NCAA’s guidelines also consider the cumulative dollar amount a student-athlete has wagered.
Widespread issue
The NCAA’s recent gambling woes add to a growing list of sports betting infractions.
In June, the NFL suspended Isaiah Rodgers and Rashod Berry of the Indianapolis Colts and free agent Demetrius Taylor indefinitely through at least the end of the 2023 season for violating the league’s policy on wagering on NFL games and at team facilities. A month later, the NFL also suspended Denver Broncos defensive line Eyioma Uwazurike for betting on NFL games.
European soccer has also experienced recent gambling infractions. Nottingham Forest defender Harry Toffolo allegedly breached the Football Association’s betting rules, which prohibit players from wagering.
The 27-year-old has been charged with 375 violations that occurred over a three-year period between January 2014 and March 2017. During that span, Toffolo spent time with more than four soccer clubs.
