NCAA Pursues Alleged Sports Betting Violations of 13 Past Players

Key Points

NCAA enforcement staff flagged unusual betting activities
13 student-athletes under investigation played at six D1 schoolsNames of alleged college basketball players being kept private

The NCAA enforcement staff is investigating alleged violations of sports betting rules and/or related failure-to-cooperate violations for 13 former men’s basketball student-athletes. According to the
press release, the alleged behaviors in each case vary. The violations being reviewed include:

Student-athletes betting on and against their own teams
Sharing information with third parties for purposes of sports betting
Knowingly manipulating scoring or game outcomes
Refusing to participate in the enforcement staff’s investigation

The NCAA have not released the names of the former student-athletes being investigated. The organization did say current ongoing cases involve players previously associated with Eastern Michigan, Temple, Arizona State, New Orleans, North Carolina AT&T, and Mississippi Valley.

Red flags were raised through the NCAA’s extensive monitoring program and network of sources. The enforcement staff became aware of unusual betting activities around the previously mentioned teams. It followed up on those reports and substantiated – in some cases via text messages, direct messages on social media platforms, and other material evidence – that violations occurred.

NCAA president shares thoughts about sports betting

The NCAA is still gathering information, but the press release noted that the enforcement staff is not seeking penalties for the schools. The organization decided to release information at this point of the investigation due to the “extensive public reporting regarding these cases.”

The NCAA has made it clear that the names of the alleged student-athletes involved will be kept private until the infractions process has concluded. None of the individuals being investigated are currently enrolled at their previous NCAA schools.

NCAA President Charlie Baker said over 22,000 contests are monitored every year and the NCAA will continue to “aggressively pursue competition integrity risks such as these.”

“I am grateful for the NCAA enforcement team’s relentless work and the schools’ cooperation in these matters.”

Push to eliminate college prop bets

The rules regarding player props on college athletes vary across the nation. State regulators set their own guidelines that U.S. sportsbook operators must follow to offer betting in that jurisdiction. However, if college basketball players are tempted to bet on their own point or rebound totals, should all jurisdictions ban proposition bets tied to NCAA athletes?

Baker is one who would support the move.

“The rise of sports betting is creating more opportunities for athletes across sports to engage in this unacceptable behavior, and while legalized sports betting is here to stay, regulators and gaming companies can do more to reduce these integrity risks by eliminating prop bets and giving sports leagues a seat at the table when setting policies,” Baker said.

College player prop bets are banned in several states, including Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Ohio, New York, and Tennessee. Numerous others only permit these bets on out-of-state teams.

Earlier this week, the NCAA
resolved
three similar cases earlier this week involving basketball players from Fresno State and San Jose State. Mykell Robinson, Steven Vasquez, and Jalen Weaver were released from their teams and had their eligibility permanently revoked.

Education about dangers tied to sports betting

The NCAA uses a layered strategy to reduce risks relating to the rise of sports betting. This includes announcing the extension of its gambling harm education program earlier this year. Done in collaboration with EPIC Global Solutions, the sessions are free NCAA schools.

The program has been around since January 2022, and continues to play a crucial role in educating athletes about the dangers of sports betting. To date, more than 100,000 student-athletes, coaches, and administrators have been reached by the EPIC collaboration.

Last year, the NCAA launched its
Draw the Line campaign. This program prioritizes student-athlete education while also addressing responsible gambling. The membership toolkit aspect of the campaign provides membership schools and conferences with resources to engage in sports betting education and prevention efforts.