Iowa, Iowa State Sports Betting Scandals: The Next Steps

• The University of Iowa investigated claims surrounding over 100 individuals betting on sports.
• While 26 athletes were part of the group, no match-fixing claims are present.
• Iowa State University also saw 15 students engage in online sports betting.
• A blanket ban or congressional hearing regarding sports betting may be the result.

DES MOINES, Iowa – A total of 41 student athletes at Iowa and Iowa State are part of a group of 111 individuals caught engaging in sports betting this week. While the list does not include any coaches, past or present, 27 are active at Iowa Athletics. Aside from one full-time employee, the remaining 26 are Iowa student athletes from football, basketball, baseball, track and field, and wrestling.

For Iowa State, there were 15 student-athletes involved in legal sports betting online coming from sport such as football, wrestling, and track and field. Having online sports wagering allegations, the student athletes will not participate in upcoming events.

While the investigation is ongoing, reports from the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission have come out stating no match fixing occurred.

“We review the types of wagers that come in… We have no reason to believe that there’s anything like that here.”

What Happens Next?

Seeing over 100 people in the headlines may cause others schools and gaming commissions to conduct their own investigations. At time of writing, no state gaming commission pulled Iowa or Iowa state athletics from their sportsbook offerings.

But investigations are inevitable because every athlete agrees to no gambling per the NCAA sports betting rules… especially after the Alabama sports betting scandal that happened days ago.

Some see these headlines as match-fixing and integrity standards simply doing their job. In the end, a few players suspended for some games or kicked out of the university is the most likely to happen.

This was the case for Alan Tisdale last year, who saw a suspension last six games. Keep in mind though, this was self-reported by the university for one student-athlete.

A Step Further

It’s likely the government adds their involvement into the matter as well. A congressional hearing wouldn’t be out of the question looking to revise the NCAA rules, modify the structure for NIL, or blanket ban college sports betting altogether.

Add in the conversation about esports betting in the US, and we could have a hearing on our hands that spans multiple days.

News tags: Alan Tisdale | Iowa | Iowa Hawkeyes | Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission | Iowa State Cyclones