The NCAA has changed its reinstatement guidelines regarding violations of legal sports betting by student-athletes.
The national governing body of college athletics in the U.S. is making changes amid the recent surge of states authorizing both online betting sites and retail wagering. The NCAA’s previous guidelines stipulated that student-athletes “who wagered on sports at any level would lose one full season of collegiate eligibility.” Those archaic guidelines were implemented before the U.S. Supreme Court permitted states outside of Nevada to offer sanctioned wagering in 2018.
"These new guidelines modernize penalties for college athletes at a time when sports wagering has been legalized in dozens of states and is easily accessible nationwide with online betting platforms," said Jacksonville athletics director and chair of the DI Legislative Committee Alex Ricker-Gilbert. "While sports wagering by college athletes is still a concern — particularly as we remain committed to preserving the integrity of competition in college sports — consideration of mitigating factors is appropriate as staff prescribe penalties for young people who have made mistakes in this space."
The NCAA’s new guidelines take a different approach by determining a student-athlete’s punishment based on their particular wager-related violation.
Student-athletes who influence the outcome of their own games or provide information to people involved in sports betting could face permanent loss of collegiate eligibility regardless of sport. That includes student-athletes who place bets on their teams or on any sport at their institution.
Secondly, student-athletes who wager on their own sport at a different institution will be required to receive education on the NCAA’s wagering rules and prevention policies in order to be reinstated. The student-athlete could also lose 50% of one season of collegiate eligibility.
The NCAA’s guidelines also consider the cumulative dollar amount a student-athlete has wagered. An amount of $200 or less would require education on wagering rules and prevention, while bets in the $201-$500 range would see a student lose 10% of a season of eligibility. A student-athlete would lose 20% of eligibility for wagers that amount to between $500-$800.
For all wagers that amount to more than $800, a student will lose 30% of a season of eligibility.
Appropriate timing
The NCAA’s willingness to change its penalties on athletes betting on sports comes amid recent controversy.
In May, gambling regulators in Ohio ordered the state’s sportsbooks to suspend wagering on Alabama college baseball games following a suspicious in-person bet. The wager was flagged by the U.S. Integrity monitoring service, which led to a probe into Alabama baseball. As a result of the investigation, the university fired head baseball coach Brad Bohannon.
The University of Iowa and Iowa State baseball programs have also been under fire after the state’s Racing and Gaming Commission launched an investigation into alleged unlawful sports wagering by more than 40 current student-athletes and one employee across the two institutions. The probe is centered on the use of betting sites by athletes at Iowa and Iowa State.
Gambling-related violations have also reached professional sports.
Earlier this year, Colorado Rapids midfielder Max Alves was suspended by the team over allegations of illegal use of online sports betting sites. The probe into Alves comes after 16 people, including other professional soccer players, were charged for alleged match-fixing.
On Thursday, 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 wagering on NFL games. The NFL also suspended Tennessee Titans OT Nicholas Petit-Frere for the first six regular season games of the 2023 season for betting on non-NFL sports at the team’s facility.
Wagering on any sport at an NFL facility violates the league’s gambling policy. The recent violations have also made the NFL update its own guidelines for legal gambling.
