A pair of college athletic programs are being proactive in notifying the NCAA of gambling-related infractions.
According to documents obtained by the Austin American-Statesman, the University of Texas athletics department has self-reported five NCAA violations related to improper sports betting. The violations were caused by two unnamed football players, a person associated with the women’s tennis team, a student assistant and a staff member.
The self-reported violations occurred between July 2024 and November 2024 with the five individuals spending a combined $14,885 on daily fantasy sports platform PrizePicks.
The five individuals used PrizePicks to wager on statistical player performances as Texas remains one of the last remaining U.S. markets to not offer regulated sports betting.
The University of Texas reported the five individuals as the NCAA bans wagering by all players, coaches, and team officials on events sponsored by the organization whether with sportsbooks or DFS sites. NCAA bylaws also prohibit betting on professional competition.
The athletic department at Texas was notified of the illicit wagers by ProhiBet, an athlete-focused gambling activity monitoring platform powered by Integrity Compliance 360.
Since 2023, ProhiBet has been used by all member institutions of the SEC, per Texas.
As a result of the wagers, the athletic department at Texas terminated the student assistant as ProhiBet found that the individual violated NCAA bylaws by wagering on Texas.
The other two non-athletes were given warnings and educational resources about betting.
One of the football players involved in the illicit wagering was deemed ineligible for competition but was later reinstated. He was also required to repay the value of the wagers he had won. The other unnamed player received no punishment from Texas as the student athlete withdrew from the school and is no longer playing college football. According to documents, the player had previous issues with problem gambling and had sought help.
He wagered roughly $9,600 while at Texas with two wagers placed on Texas basketball.
Gambling issues outside of Texas
Mississippi State University is also dealing with gambling-related infractions.
Earlier this week, a male practice squad player for Mississippi State’s women’s basketball team also violated NCAA bylaws, according to a report from the Clarion Ledger.
The unnamed practice player placed six bets in September 2024 worth $10 on NFL and college football games but did not wager on any Mississippi State sporting event. The player deactivated his sportsbook account as punishment for his illicit wagering.
The NCAA and SEC have yet to impose any additional sanctions on the practice player. In 2024, Mississippi State reported three violations with total NCAA infractions reaching 100.
