NCAA May Allow Athletes to Bet on Sports • This Week in Gambling

The National Collegiate Athletic Association, or NCAA, is rumored to be moving toward lifting is prohibition on athletes, coaches, and team staff from betting on professional sports. This is according to multiple sources, including Sports Illustrated. If approved by the Division I Board of Directors, changes could roll out as soon as June.

During a video conference held on April 21st, the board voted overwhelmingly—21-1—in favor of directing the NCAA Council to adopt legislation that would deregulate the current prohibition. While the ban on gambling involving collegiate sports will remain firmly in place, the proposed changes reflect the NCAA’s evolving stance on sports wagering in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2018 decision to strike down the federal ban.

Currently, NCAA rules prohibit athletes, coaches, and other staff from wagering on professional sports such as football, basketball, hockey, baseball, golf, and tennis. However, as legal sports betting continues to expand across the country, the NCAA has faced increasing challenges in enforcing these restrictions.

Officials say the enforcement staff has been inundated with minor infractions, particularly those involving pro sports. As part of the policy review, which began in 2023, the board also recommended creating a “safe harbor” for student-athletes who seek help for gambling-related issues.

This would involve reduced penalties for those who voluntarily come forward, signaling a shift toward a more supportive approach to addressing gambling problems. Despite the proposed changes, the NCAA emphasized that sports betting still poses a “serious threat to the well-being of our student-athletes and to the integrity of NCAA competition.”  The council is expected to review and potentially adopt the new legislation in the coming months.

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