The NCAA would still bar betting on college sports and sharing information about college events with bettors. Advertising and sponsorships associated with betting are also not allowed at NCAA championship events.
The shift comes as the organization grapples with the growth of legalized gambling across the United States. NCAA President Charlie Baker and other college sports leaders have raised concerns about gamblers attacking athletes on social media for their play and there have been scattered allegations, including some earlier this year, against programs involving betting.
The NCAA said last week that “several sports betting-related violations by staff members at NCAA schools” have been resolved in recent years and noted its enforcement staff is working on issuing notices of allegations in several ongoing gambling cases.
Still, the NCAA has acknowledged the challenges in barring adult athletes at hundreds of schools from gambling on pro sports. Two years ago, it made reinstatement policies more lenient, and the NCAA has a multi-year partnership with Genius Sports, which distributes official NCAA data to licensed sportsbooks, an arrangement that bars negative prop bets.
“NCAA rules prohibiting sports betting at all levels were written and adopted at a time when sports gambling was largely illegal nationwide,” said Josh Whitman, athletics director at Illinois and council chairman. “As betting on sports has become more widely accepted across the country, Division I members have determined that further discussion of these sports betting rules is warranted, particularly as it relates to the potential distinctions between betting on professional vs. collegiate sports.”
Current NCAA rules do not allow athletes or institutional staff to engage in sports betting for any sports that have NCAA championships; bets by an athlete on their own team or own sport risks a lifetime ban from college athletics.
“The enforcement staff’s sports betting-related caseload has significantly increased in recent years, and our staff — including our new sports betting integrity unit — has been effective in detecting and pursuing violations,” said Jon Duncan, NCAA vice president of enforcement.
Dr. Deena Casiero, the NCAA's chief medical officer, said allowing pro sports betting may be more effective and realistic than an “abstinence-only” approach, clearing the way for education and better understanding of the risks.
“By meeting student-athletes where they are, schools may be more effective at preventing, identifying and supporting student-athletes with problematic gambling behaviors," Casiero said.
Source: WFMJ
