for early access to the latest igaming videos!
and get the latest igaming news first!
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is close to changing its long-standing betting policy. This shift could lift the ban on student-athletes, coaches, and staff members from betting on professional sports.
Multiple sources confirmed to Sports Illustrated last week that the Division I Board of Directors had already laid the foundation for this rule change in April, and the details were forwarded to the D-I Council for more serious discussions this week.
Should the Council approve this measure, athletes and staff in the NCAA could bet on professional sports as early as June this year.
Under current laws, those involved in college athletics are prohibited from wagering on professional sports, including basketball, baseball, football, soccer, tennis, and golf. This means a college basketball player, for example, cannot bet on NBA games.
But the D-I board held a video conference last month, where it voted 21–1 in favor of directing the council to “adopt legislation to deregulate the prohibition on wagering on professional sports.” The board also encouraged the “NCAA staff to develop concepts for the appropriate committees to consider regarding a safe harbor, limited immunity or reduced penalties for student-athletes who engage in sports wagering but seek help for problem gambling.”
However, the ban on college sports betting would still be effective, according to the sources.
Policy Change Would Allow NCAA to Focus on College Sports
This news comes as the NCAA is in the midst of a significant review of its sports betting policies, a process that is two years in the making. As legalized gambling continues to grow across the US, especially on college campuses, enforcing existing rules has become increasingly difficult.
The NCAA’s enforcement staff is currently overwhelmed with numerous cases involving minor infractions related to professional sports betting. This policy shift aims to redirect toward maintaining the integrity of college sports rather than monitoring all forms of wagering.
Matt Banker, a consultant in college athletics, noted that the landscape of sports gambling has drastically changed. “The world of sports wagering looks far different in 2025 than it did even ten years ago,” he said, highlighting that it’s now legal in nearly 80% of the country.
If approved, the new rules would allow NCAA athletes and staff to place bets on professional sports while the ban on college sports remains intact. This change signals a focus on issues that directly threaten college athletics, such as point shaving and game fixing, rather than the risks posed by individual bets on professional events.
Banker emphasized that the biggest risks to college sports come from integrity issues, not from whether a college athlete or coach bets on major professional games. By concentrating on these more significant threats, the NCAA hopes to better protect the integrity of its competitions and reduce the burden on its enforcement staff.
NCAA Continue to Investigate Game Fixing Cases
Investigations into game fixing in men’s college basketball are still underway, with both federal authorities and the NCAA actively involved. Following the arrests linked to former NBA player Jontay Porter, the probe has expanded to include multiple college teams (North Carolina A&T, Mississippi Valley State, and Eastern Michigan) and at least one other NBA player. Although updates have been sparse lately, sources indicate that both investigations remain in progress.
During the 2024-2025 season, several Division I men’s basketball players faced suspensions or dismissals due to gambling-related violations. These actions were reportedly tied to either betting on their own games or manipulating performances for betting purposes.
In its latest report, the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA) flagged six U.S. basketball games for suspicious betting patterns in early 2025, marking a serious increase from the five games flagged in all of 2024.
The NCAA has stated its commitment to protecting student-athlete well-being and maintaining competition integrity. In a statement to Sports Illustrated earlier this year, it said:
“The Association works with integrity monitoring services, state regulators, and other stakeholders to conduct appropriate due diligence whenever suspicious reports are received. Due to confidentiality rules put in place by NCAA member schools, the NCAA will not comment on current, pending, or potential investigations.”
Source: YogoNet
