Part of campus culture
Technology-driven sports betting has fast become a major part of US college culture, with students either crowing or complaining about their latest prop, parlay, or prediction market bets on campuses across America.
That is, all except for student athletes who, until a Wednesday announcement from the NCAA, had no skin in the pro sports betting game.
taken heed of peer pressure
The NCAA’s Division I Administrative Committee has now, however, taken heed of campus peer pressure on student-athletes and adopted legislation that will allow them to wager on pro sports.
In a statement, the NCAA essentially conceded the popularity of sports betting on campus was ultimately behind its decision. The national body maintained its concern that all types of sports betting carried risks but said it was lifting the ban to “reduce the restrictions on student-athletes in this area to better align with their campus peers.”
Give and take
While elite athletes have the NCAA’s provisional assurance they can bet on the likes of the NFL and the NBA, they will need to wait before they can start doing so. This is because the Division II and III ACs meet later in October to add their signatures to the one inked by Division I on Wednesday, before the rule change becomes effective November 1.
In the NCAA press release, Illinois Athletic Director & Committee Chair Josh Whitman stated the move to allow pro sports betting allows the body, its conferences, and member schools to “focus on protecting the integrity of college games.”
While all tiers of student-athletes remain banned from betting on college sports, the NCAA believes lifting the ban on the pro vertical will encourage “healthy habits for student-athletes who choose to engage in betting activities.”
According to NCAA Chief Medical Officer Dr. Deena Casiero, the “abstinence only” approach to dealing with the social challenges faced by students was “not as successful as approaches that focus on education about risks and open dialogue.”
Casiero said in Wednesday’s release that the NCAA would continue to assist member schools, providing student-athletes who opt to bet on pro sports with “meaningful education and other resources.”
Out in the open
The NCAA medical boss added that the change in the status quo gives schools the chance to help their students “make educated decisions, prevent risky behavior and seek support without fear of impacting their eligibility.”
The rule change was also supported by the Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and the National Council on Problem Gambling.
reduce stigma around seeking help”
The latter said it supported the NCAA’s effort to make its student-athlete sports betting policy more in line with the times and “reduce stigma around seeking help for gambling problems.”
