The NCAA is utilizing sports betting tracking technology to monitor referees officiating championship games for the first time.
Key Takeaways
- IC360’s technology will flag impermissible bettors.
- More than 200 referees will be monitored during March Madness.
- The NCAA has been dealing with a player-related scandal unrelated to officiating.
Beginning with March Madness, the governing body for college sports announced on Tuesday that Integrity Compliance 360’s product, ProhiBet, will help protect the integrity of championships in basketball, baseball, and softball.
Each of the more than 200 officials set to call men’s and women’s NCAA Tournament games will have their name entered into ProhiBet, which flags impermissible bettors through anonymized identification verification. Essentially, if a referee creates a sports betting account, the NCAA will be aware of it because IC360 monitors numerous sportsbooks.
“Implementing ProhiBet is a major step in increasing integrity protections for college sports,” said Mark Hicks, NCAA managing director of enforcement. “This platform adds another layer to the NCAA’s robust integrity monitoring program as we work to keep competition integrity and student-athlete well-being paramount in a rapidly evolving sports betting environment.”
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Staying vigilant
Like players, coaches, and staff, officials who call games are prohibited from placing bets. ProhiBet will use its secure, data-encrypted network to keep referees from doing just that.
“The engagement with IC360 provides the NCAA with a robust, proactive, and confidential tool designed to meet the unique compliance challenges presented by the rapidly expanding legal sports betting market,” IC360 said. “By implementing ProhiBet, the NCAA is setting a new benchmark for protecting the fairness of its events and helping its officiating body adhere strictly to integrity policies.”
IC360 already works with many leagues across the NCAA and professional sports organizations to monitor integrity and provide compliance solutions.
“We’re thrilled to welcome the NCAA to the ProhiBet network and are honored to help protect the integrity of these iconic Division I championships,” IC360 Co-CEO Scott Sadin said. “This collaboration sets a new industry benchmark and reinforces the importance of proactive deterrence and detection in keeping collegiate athletics fair.”
NCAA scandal
The new technology implementation comes shortly after the NCAA became mired in a betting scandal that involved players and a group of known bettors.
Officials have not been implicated in the federal indictment of 26 individuals alleged to take part in the scheme. A basketball trainer and developer pleaded guilty to wire fraud and bribery charges on Monday, the first defendant to do so in the case.
Seventeen former players were indicted by federal prosecutors and alleged to have taken bribes to fix nearly 30 games between 2023 and 2025. Late last year, the NCAA declared more than a handful of players ineligible to compete after an investigation found that they had manipulated games or shared betting information.
The NCAA has not indicated that ProhiBet’s implementation is tied to any previous referee integrity issue.
