NCAA Changes Guidelines for Sports Betting Violations

• NCAA’s Division 1 Legislative Committee amended the eligibility reinstatement guidelines for student-athletes that committed violations related to sports betting.
• Strict punishment will be given for student-athletes involved in altering the integrity of collegiate events, but adjustments were made to wagering outside of college sports.
• The guideline changes apply to violations dating back to May 2.

INDIANAPOLIS – The Division 1 Legislative Committee agreed on Tuesday to amend reinstatement guidelines for the eligibility of student-athletes who commit sports betting violations.

The NCAA gambling guideline changes have the biggest change in punishment towards student-athletes betting.

Student-athletes that remove integrity from collegiate games, whether that be through influencing outcomes or knowingly providing information to sports bettors could face permanent loss of collegiate eligibility. This applies to student-athletes who wager on their own games, or any other sport at their own schools.

In regards to student-athletes wagering on other school’s sports, the punishment is reduced to consideration of the loss of 50% of one season of eligibility and education on sports wagering rules and prevention.

For other wagering violations, like betting on the Super Bowl or other professional sports, the amount wagered is now being factored into the punishment.

• $200 or less: sports wagering rules and prevention education.
• $201-$500: loss of 10% of a season of eligibility, plus rules and prevention education.
• $501-$800: loss of 20% of a season of eligibility, plus rules and prevention education.
• Greater than $800: loss of 30% of a season of eligibility, plus rules and prevention education.

The Chairman of the DI Legislative Committee Alex Ricker-Gilbert spoke about the changes he and his peers made to the NCAA reinstatement guidelines.

“These new guidelines modernize penalties for college athletes at a time when sports wagering has been legalized in dozens of states and is easily accessible nationwide with online betting platforms,” said Alex Ricker-Gilbert. “While sports wagering by college athletes is still a concern — particularly as we remain committed to preserving the integrity of competition in college sports — consideration of mitigating factors is appropriate as staff prescribe penalties for young people who have made mistakes in this space.”

Acknowledging that legal sports betting is inevitable with how fast it’s growing across the country, Ricker-Gilbert knew it was time to adjust their judgement. These changes will apply to all wagering-related violations after May 2, which includes recent sports betting scandals at Iowa and Iowa State’s campuses that saw a total of 41 student-athletes engaging in sports betting.

News tags: Alex Ricker-Gilbert | Brad Bohannon | NCAA