The One Underdog Butler Students Can’t Bet On: Their Own Bulldogs

• No one at Butler University is allowed to make bets on Butler games.
• University leaders say the ban is designed to keep the integrity of Butler games.
• Sports betting in Indiana has been legalized for months.

INDIANAPOLIS – Butler University has issued a campus-wide ban on betting on games involved with the university.

Indiana sports betting has been active since September of 2019. It has taken Butler University about five months to issue the campus-wide ban. Purdue University was the first Public University to issue this type of prohibition and Butler’s new rules mirror those.

The Game’s Integrity

Like most universities, Butler is concerned that sports betting will impact the integrity of their games. The University of Montana recently banned athletics staff from betting on sports.

The ban in Butler is slightly different. Most students and staff are free to bet on sports. However, no one involved with the University is allowed to make bets on Butler games.

“Our Sports Wagering Policy, which is supported by our Board of Trustees, is a proactive measure rooted in our commitment to and support of our student-athletes and our athletic programs,” said Butler President James Danko.

The reason for this is because Butler staff and students technically have access to members of the team. The board believed the risk of bribes or gaining insider information for bets was too high. As such, the campus-wide ban was put into place. Violating the ban could lead to dismissal from the school.

“When [students are] in their outside time, it’s their time — they can do whatever they want to do with it,” said Austin Lewis, a Butler student. “They want to bet on sports, it’s their legal right to do it.” “Getting kicked out of school or losing your job over that seems extremely harsh in my eyes.”

The ban on betting on Butler sports is effective immediately after the announcement. That means that if Butler makes it to March Madness, students and staff cannot bet on Butler games.

But it is not a complete ban on legal sports betting. Members of the University are free to wager on all other college games and professional sports as well. So long as the game does not involve Butler, students and staff can bet on sports.

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