University of Montana Bans Athletes, Coaches, Etc. From Betting

• Sports betting is completely legal in Montana.
• People involved with the University of Montana athletics cannot bet on sports.
• Sharing information that could influence bets is also strictly prohibited.

MISSOULA, Mont. – The University of Montana has passed rules last week that prevent members of student athletics from betting on sports.

Montana University Regulations

The Board of Regents in Montana met last week to establish the rules and regulations about sports betting and college athletics. Last year, Montana sports betting was formally legalized. Because the state did not ban people involved with student athletics from betting, the universities themselves had to do so.

There are four specific rules that Montana University athletics has to follow. Anyone involved with student athletics cannot solicit or accept bet money. So no one involved with the program can have someone else bet for them.

Of course, that means that people in the student athletics program cannot make sports bets themselves. They cannot bet on NCAA games and they cannot wager on professional games as well. This means that betting on any future Super Bowls is out of the question.

Sharing information that could potentially influence bets is not allowed as well. That means that no one can tell anyone about a student athlete’s physical or mental health. Doing so would give the potential bettor an edge. Of course, attempting to manipulate the game results for a bet is strictly prohibited.

This policy is made for everyone in student athletics to follow. That extends from the student athletes, the coaches, and all members of the athletic staff. Even the regents who voted for the rules must follow the new regulations.

The Current State Of Montana

Although these regulations are now in place, it might take some time before they need to be enforced. Although legal sports betting is now allowed in Montana, sportsbooks are not open yet.

The Montana Lottery is working with Intralot to create an online sportsbook that will be available in bars and taverns statewide. Retail sportsbooks are also currently under development but are not open yet. Montana sports betting was legalized in May of 2019, so it has been nearly a year and no sportsbooks have been open yet.

Potential lawsuits and more could continue delaying Montana sports betting. Due to this, Montana missed out on betting on Super Bowl 54. It seems at this rate, the state will miss betting on March Madness as well.

News tags: Intralot | Montana | Montana Lottery | Montana University | NCAA | Super Bowl 54