The organization behind one of America’s most popular sporting events is making changes amid the popularity of regulated online sports betting.
The NCAA announced the requirement of player availability reports for March Madness, which had Americans spend an estimated $3.1 billion wagering on the annual tournament last year, according to data provided by the American Gaming Association. Starting in 2026, DI institutions in both the women’s and men’s March Madness tournaments will be required to provide player injury reports ahead of all contests. The NCAA is requiring schools to provide the reports the night before games and two hours before tip-off.
The player availability reports will also be publicly available in an effort to reduce gambling-related pressure and abuse toward student-athletes. The reports will use two player-injury designations: questionable or out. Inaccurate or failed reports can lead to penalties.
The undisclosed penalties are levied by the men’s and women’s basketball committees.
“After months of thorough discussion and exploration, I applaud the Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Committees for taking such important action,” said NCAA President Charlie Baker. “Implementing player availability reporting is a major step to increasing student-athlete protections by alleviating pressures for the enhancement of their college experience.”
The NCAA will leverage the services of basketball analytics consulting company HD Intelligence to gather and distribute player availability reports throughout March Madness.
NCAA injury reports in college football
The NCAA is requiring injury reports for March Madness after two Power Four conferences and an institution took previous steps to protect players from gambling-related abuse.
In 2023, former LSU head football coach Brian Kelly began issuing player injury reports. LSU football provided two injury reports a week to be proactive in protecting student-athletes from third-party individuals attempting to gather information about the team.
Last year, LSU’s conference, the SEC, began requiring member institutions to provide public injury reports for football, baseball, and men’s and women’s basketball. The SEC joined the Big Ten and Mid-American Conference, requiring up-to-date injury reports.
Fines for failing to meet the SEC’s standards range between $25,000 and $100,000.
Earlier this year, the ACC mandated its football, basketball and baseball programs to provide injury reports at least 48 hours before all conference games. The ACC imposes undisclosed fines on members that fail to comply with its injury reporting rules.
