NCAA Could Soon Lift Prohibition on Professional Sports Betting

• NCAA currently bars athletes, coaches from betting on pro sports
• Reversal of policy could arrive as soon as June

As legal sports wagering has expanded in the US  following the 2018 Supreme Court ruling on the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), the NCAA has prohibited athletes, coaches, and staff from betting on professional sports, but that could soon change.

Last month, the Division I Board of Directors voted 21-1 in favor of advancing a possible rule change to the D-I Council for more discussion. Citing unidentified sources with knowledge of the matter, Sports Illustrated reported there is momentum for allowing those with direct NCAA ties to wager on professional sports and clarity on that front could arrive as soon as next month.

(The board) directed the NCAA staff to develop concepts for the appropriate committees to consider regarding a safe harbor, limited immunity or reduced penalties for student-athletes who engage in sports wagering but seek help for problem gambling,” according to the board by way of Sports Illustrated.

Should the D-1 Council vote in favor of lifting the pro sports wagering ban, the current ban on betting on college sports would not be affected.

NCAA Pro Sports Betting Ban Arguably Arcane

For as well-intended as the NCAA’s prohibition on athletes, coaches, and employees betting on pro sports, it’s equally, if not more, arbitrary and overreaching for a simple reason: the ban applies to any pro sport that is also available at the college level.

The Division III Management Council has examined allowing its athletes and staff to bet on pro sports, indicating there’s support at that level for related framework.

“Exploring the concept of a safe harbor or limited immunity for student-athletes involved with sports betting reaffirms that harm reduction and education will continue to be paramount. We are seeking to deregulate betting on professional sports because we believe it will be more likely that student-athletes and staff will seek help for problem gambling,” said Jason Verdugo, chair of the council and athletics director at Wisconsin-Eau Claire, in an April statement.

NCAA Should Focus on College Betting

To date, the pro sports betting infractions caught by the NCAA have been of the minor variety, usually resulting in slap-on-the-wrist penalties.

Conversely, nearly all of the sports betting controversies that reached scandal proportions involved wagering on college games and that’s true in both the pre- and post-PAPSA eras. Recent examples include Iowa State athletes being charged with felony identity theft to execute wagers when they weren’t of legal betting age and former University of Alabama baseball coach Brad Bohannon losing his job after it was discovered he shared player availability information with contacts prior to making it public.

The NCAA has taken a hard line on high-level betting infractions, pushing states to ban eliminate player propositions on college athletes in an effort to increase athlete safety and bolster integrity.