The NCAA is just days away from allowing student-athletes and staff to bet on pro sports.
The organization’s Division III Management Council voted to adopt a proposal that lifts the NCAA’s ban on professional sports wagering. The council was the last step for the ban lift after the proposal was approved by committees from DI and DII earlier this month.
The NCAA previously prohibited sports wagering by all student-athletes, coaches and team officials on all events sponsored by the organization, including pro competition.
Starting Nov. 1, the NCAA will allow pro sports betting but will maintain its ban on college sports wagering and sharing gambling-related information with third parties. The NCAA will continue to provide gambling education and enforce its ban on college-related wagering.
“Our focus remains on education and harm reduction,” said Chair of the Division III Management Council and Athletics Director at Wisconsin-Eau Claire Jason Verdugo. “We want to make sure student-athletes understand the boundaries of permissible behavior and the risks that gambling can pose to their well-being and the integrity of college sports.”
The NCAA’s latest version of guidelines provides punishments for student-athletes and staff who influence the outcome of their own games, wager on or against their own teams or provide gambling-related information to third parties. The punishments range from a potential 50% loss of one season of eligibility to a lifetime ban from NCAA competition.
The NCAA considered a change of stance regarding pro sports betting as its bylaws “were written and adopted at a time when sports gambling was largely illegal nationwide,” said University of Illinois Athletics Director Josh Whitman.
The opportunity 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.”
NCAA gambling infractions lead to lifetime ban
The NCAA is allowing pro sports wagering as it handles infractions tied to college games.
Earlier this year, the NCAA levied lifetime bans to three former Fresno State basketball players after an investigation found the student-athletes had manipulated their performances to win bets with payouts distributed between themselves and third parties.
The NCAA also recently initiated a probe that identified betting violations by 13 former men’s basketball players at six member institutions. The NCAA Committee on Infractions is investigating the alleged violations that include student-athletes wagering on their own teams and knowingly sharing gambling-related information with third parties.
