The NCAA is one step closer to allowing student-athletes and staff to wager on pro sports.
On Wednesday, the DI Administrative Committee voted to adopt a proposal that allows NCAA student-athletes and athletic department staff to wager on pro sports. The NCAA’s active bylaws prohibit sports wagering by all players, coaches and team officials on events sponsored by the organization. Its active rules also prohibit wagering on pro competition.
D1 committee approved pro sports betting, but more steps left
The D1 Administrative Committee agreed to allow pro sports wagering but a rule change requires approval by committees from Division II and Division III. The committees are expected to consider the proposal later this month. If adopted, the ban lifts on Nov. 1.
The NCAA will maintain its ban on college sports betting and sharing gambling-related information with third parties. The latest version of NCAA guidelines includes punishments for student-athletes who influence the outcome of their own games, wager on or against their own teams or provide gambling-related information to third parties.
“The Administrative Committee was clear in its discussion today that it remains concerned about the risks associated with all forms of sports gambling but ultimately voted to reduce restrictions on student-athletes in this area to better align with their campus peers,” said University of Illinois Athletics Director and Committee Chair Josh Whitman.
“This change allows the NCAA, the conferences and the member schools to focus on protecting the integrity of college games while, at the same time, encouraging healthy habits for student-athletes who choose to engage in betting activities on professional sports.”
Whitman noted that the rule change proposal was submitted as active NCAA bylaws “were written and adopted at a time when sports gambling was largely illegal nationwide.” The rule change was first discussed in May 2025 by the DI Board of Directors.
In addition to the D1 Administrative Committee, the proposal to allow NCAA members to wager on pro sports also garnered support from the DI Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), which has one student-athlete from each DI conference.
“We believe this change represents meaningful progress toward a culture that prioritizes education, transparency and support over punishment,” said the SAAC. “By removing unnecessary barriers, we are hopeful that student-athletes and athletics administrators will feel empowered to come forward, seek help and engage in open dialogue without fear.”
Recent gambling-related NCAA infractions
The NCAA is moving forward with the pro sports betting proposal as it deals with recent gambling-related infractions by student-athletes. In September, three former Fresno State basketball players received permanent NCAA bans after an investigation by the organization’s infractions committee found the student-athletes had manipulated their performances to win bets with payouts distributed between themselves and third parties.
The NCAA infractions occurred during the 2024-24 regular season.
The largest governing body of college sports in America also initiated a probe that identified betting violations by 13 former men’s basketball players at six schools.
The NCAA Committee on Infractions is investigating the alleged violations that include student-athletes wagering on or against their own teams, sharing information with third parties and knowingly manipulating the outcome of games.
“The enforcement staff continues to investigate and resolve cases involving sports betting quickly but thoroughly,” said NCAA VP of Enforcement Jon Duncan. “Enforcement staff are investigating a significant number of cases that are specifically relevant to the NCAA’s mission of fair competition, and our focus will remain on those cases and those behaviors that impact the integrity of college sports most directly.”
The 13 student-athletes at the six institutions were included in the NCAA investigation after unusual wagering activity was detected by an unnamed sports betting monitoring service.
