Integrity vs Industry: The NCAA's Gamble on Allowing College Athletes to Bet on Pro Sports

Kaitlyn Nielsen | Sports Editor

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Sports betting is the process of wagering one's money on the outcome of a sporting event. It can range from all sorts of different bets: such as who wins, the margin of victory, a player's stats, etc. There has been a lot of legal limbo surrounding sports betting. In 2018, the United States Supreme Court struck down a federal ban also known as PASPA. This allowed for states to begin legalizing while regulating sports wagering. As states have begun to roll back policies and regulations regarding betting, it has created associations such as the NCAA to reconsider their decade-old policies. 

The NCAA has historically taken a fierce stance against all forms of sports gambling for student athletes and staff alike. The belief behind the policy has to do with concerns surrounding the use of inside information as well as point shaving. The NCAA also created the policy to protect young athletes from the harm and addiction of gambling. For decades, the association has been strict about this rule; often violations would result in suspensions, bans, and other penalties for athletes or staff found to have been participating. 

The NCAA took the policy a step further by restricting partnerships with companies or operations that have ties to gambling or wagering operations. They also limited betting-based advertisements during championships. This was to create a bold separation between amateur games and professional ones.

The conversation pertaining to NCAA sports betting regulations began following the PASPA decision. The question arose whether the NCAA could realistically uphold such an absolute policy while protecting student-athletes simultaneously. Discussion regarding the topic started in 2024, and representatives pushed a different approach. The new policy would allow students and staff to partake in professional sports betting, but keep the overall ban on collegiate-level competition gambling. There were two determining factors that contributed to this outcome. For one, Students were already exposed to betting ads and apps. Secondly, previous enforcement cases showed that a strict ban wasn’t preventing students from violating the rule. 

At the beginning of this Fall, the D1 Admin Committee accepted the proposal. Their initial plan was to begin the process of moving through the different legislative processes across all three divisions. Once all of the divisions approved of this rule change, the policy would be put into effect on November 1st of 2025. 

However, things did not go as planned. Adversaries of this plan didn’t see it as clear-cut as its supporters. Their argument surrounded the fact that, if students were allowed to bet under certain circumstances, it would normalize the act of gambling for athletic departments and potentially draw athletes into addictive behaviors. Some outspoken critics of the plan took to the public to speak regarding the change as a “step in the wrong direction”. Their reasoning considered recent enforcement cases surrounding players betting on their own teams, which raised concerns about loosening regulations rather than doubling down on the already standing policies. 

In late October, following the Admin Committee's approval of the professional betting, the Board of Directors voted to move the implementation date back to November 22nd. This delay was made to add additional time for members to weigh in regarding their issues and concerns. The question on many association members' minds is whether the NCAA will be able to build a practical and enforceable wall to stand between pro and college gambling. Or is the NCAA taking too much of a risk by permitting gambling, leaving athletic departments open to risks of being exploited? 

The NCAA’s debate is judicious. The sole purpose is to preserve the credibility of collegiate-level competition while recognizing the growing popularity and common place of sports wagering in professional games. The battle is not over yet, even though the original date was pushed back, many are anticipating more lobbying and public statements to occur from coaches and other conference leaders. The question on everyone's mind regards the NCAA's ability to keep the carve-out allowance or if they return to strict regulations.