The NCAA announced that the Division I administrative committee voted to approve a proposal that would allow college athletes to place bets on professional sports.
Under the proposed change, college athletes would still be banned from any gambling on college sports, but are no longer prohibited from also betting on pro sporting events. The proposal will now go to the DII and DIII committees, which will vote during their meetings at the end of the month and if both of those sign off on their approval, the change could go into effect on November 1.
“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 Josh Whitman, Illinois athletic director and committee chair. “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.
By allowing athletes to bet on professional sporting events, the NCAA can focus their efforts on monitoring betting activity on college games alone. There have been a number of NCAA investigations recently into betting activity, including an ongoing investigation into 13 players from six DI college basketball programs.
Under the proposal, the NCAA would also include additional education and support to prevent problem gambling among college athletes.
“Abstinence-only approaches to social challenges for college-aged individuals are often not as successful as approaches that focus on education about risks and open dialogue,” said Dr. Deena Casiero, NCAA chief medical officer. “The NCAA will continue to collaborate with schools to help them provide student-athletes with meaningful education and other resources for student-athletes who choose to participate in betting on professional sports. This harm reduction approach gives schools an opportunity to help student-athletes make educated decisions, prevent risky behavior and seek support without fear of impacting their eligibility.”
The votes from the DII and DIII committees will determine whether the proposed change will go into effect next month.
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