NCAA Committee Supports Allowing Betting on Professional Sports
The NCAA Division I Administrative Committee has endorsed a proposal that would allow college athletes and athletic department staff to place wagers on professional sports. This represents a significant policy shift for collegiate athletics.
If approved by Divisions II and III later this month, the reform could take effect as soon as Nov. 1. It would be a major change, allowing college athletes in states where sports betting is legal to use our best sports betting sites.
The updated policy would continue prohibiting all betting on collegiate events and sharing insider information related to college competitions. Illinois Athletics Director and Committee Chair Josh Whitman said the proposal aims to focus NCAA oversight on safeguarding the integrity of college games.
It also recognizes that many students are already exposed to legal betting markets. Nevertheless, the committee explained that the rule change is not an approval but an effort to align with current norms, as sports betting is legalized in most parts of the US.
Prohibitions on sponsorship and advertising for sports betting around the NCAA Championships will persist. The Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) approved the reform, noting that deregulation must occur hand in hand with education and mental health support. The NCAA Sport Science Institute has already implemented harm reduction initiatives and e-learning modules on the risks of gambling.
The proposal follows a rise in integrity-related violations. NCAA enforcement staff reported growing instances of college athletes betting on their own games.
NCAA Vice President of Enforcement Jon Duncan said, "Enforcement staff are investigating a significant number of cases that are specifically relevant to the NCAA's mission of fair competition, and our focus will remain on those cases and those behaviors that impact the integrity of college sports most directly."
Recent betting violations underscore integrity concerns
Among those violations, last month, the NCAA Committee on Infractions released findings from an investigation into three men's basketball players at Fresno State and San Jose State who violated ethical conduct rules by betting on their own games during the 2024–25 season.
The student-athletes, Mykell Robinson, Steven Vasquez, and Jalen Weaver, were found to have manipulated performances to win wagers and have since been permanently banned.
The probe began after Fresno State and a betting integrity monitor flagged suspicious prop bets on Robinson. Investigators found that Robinson and Vasquez coordinated to underperform in specific statistical categories to benefit from prop bets totaling $2,200, resulting in a $15,950 payout.
Robinson also placed 13 daily fantasy sports bets on his own performance, winning $618 from a parlay.
Evidence also revealed that Robinson and Weaver exchanged betting information before a December 2024 game, leading both to place small prop bets on their own performances. Robinson and Vasquez did not comply with the investigators' requests, whereas Weaver acknowledged the rule and the violation.
The cases were resolved through a negotiated resolution involving both universities. Although the Committee on Infractions approved the findings, no additional penalties were imposed, as permanent ineligibility remains the baseline for college athletes who bet on their own contests.
