NCAA Restructures Penalties for Sports Betting-Related Violations

The NCAA has updated its approach to penalizing those who violate its gambling policy. This comes amid a number of betting-related controversies in recent months involving college sports teams.

strongest penalties will be for athletes who comprise in any way the integrity of a game

Athletes and coaches will still not be permitted to bet on any NCAA-sponsored sports or share any inside information with bettors. The previous structure saw players found guilty of most betting offenses, typically losing an entire season of eligibility. Now there are levels to the offenses. The strongest penalties will be for athletes who compromise in any way the integrity of a game, which can lead to a permanent loss of eligibility.

In the case of an athlete betting on another school in the same sport that they take part in, they face losing as much as half a season of eligibility. They will also need to go to education classes regarding NCAA betting rules. The exact penalties for other violations, such as wagering on professional sports, will depend on the monetary value of the bets.

Explaining the reasoning behind updating the penalty structure, NCAA’s D1 Legislative Committee Chair Alex Ricker-Gilbert said that “sports wagering has been legalized in dozens of states and is easily accessible nationwide with online betting platforms.”