University Officials Ban Students And Faculty From Betting On Purdue

• IN HB 1015, which was signed into law earlier this year allows anyone 21 years old or older to bet on any collegiate team in the country.
• Purdue became the first public university to impose a ban on collegiate betting for its students and faculty.
• Specific punishments for students and staff members are still currently being developed.

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – On Thursday, Purdue became the first public university to ban students, staff, and faculty members from betting on Boilermaker games and student-athletes.

The NCAA already restricts student-athletes and coaches from placing wagers on games, but the sports wagering policy set by the Purdue University Board of Trustees is the first to restrict non-athlete students and employees from putting money down on the team.

This comes despite the fact that IN HB 1015, the sports betting bill that was signed into law earlier this year, allows anyone over the age of 21 to bet on any collegiate team they want.

Specific punishments for faculty and staff are still being developed by human resources and the Executive Policy Review Group. Penalties could include outright termination.

As for non-athlete students, the dean of students and the vice provost for student life will join the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities to come up with penalties for violators of the sports wagering policy.

Legal sports betting has been operational in Indiana casinos since the first week of September and online sportsbooks in Indiana launched just last week.

Purdue’s new sports wagering policy prohibits both methods of placing wagers on the Boilermakers’ athletic programs.

However, the University’s ability to properly enforce this new policy will come with a bit of a challenge. As highlighted by Sports Illustrated, Indiana sportsbooks are not required to hand over customer data to universities. It will also be difficult to track student’s online behavior if they are not using university servers.

Purdue does have a University Code of Honor which is put in place to have students govern and report themselves. But, the effectiveness of it in relation to sports wagering has yet to be seen.

The sports wagering policy for Purdue won’t officially become active until EPRG procedures have been published. While logistical and legal obstacles may slow down that publish date, staff, faculty, and non-athlete students who want to bet on Purdue games should do so before its too late.

News tags: IN HB 1015 | Purdue University | Purdue University Board of Trustees