INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The NCAA is considering a proposal that would allow athletes and staff members to bet on professional sports and shift enforcement efforts to college sports betting and “behaviors that directly impact game integrity.”
The Division I Council introduced the proposal that will be considered this fall and be implemented if Divisions II and III officials also approve.
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 Wednesday 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.
In other NCAA moves, the Division I Board of Directors this week formally adopted roster limits for NCAA sports as part of the $2.8 billion House settlement that also allows revenue-sharing and schools to award as many scholarships as they wish within the roster caps.
Also this week, the Division I Council:
— Endorsed a recommended cap of 32 regular-season games in both men’s and women’s basketball beginning with the 2026-27 season. Critics include early-season tournament organizers who say the change could result in fewer marquee matchups.
— Introduced a proposal to add women’s flag football to the emerging sports for women program. Flag football has grown rapidly in popularity and will make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
— Adopted scheduling flexibility changes allowing Football Championship Subdivision programs to compete in 12 regular-season games every year, starting in 2026.
— Voted to introduce proposals that, if also supported by Divisions II and III, would establish NCAA championships for women’s stunt and women’s acrobatics and tumbling as early as spring 2027. The sports have grown in popularity.
— Voted to separate the scoring at the fencing championships to recognize winning teams in both men’s and women’s fencing. Currently, women’s-only teams are statistically unable to win the national championship under the existing scoring format. The change also needs backing by Divisions II and III.
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