NCAA And The High Rate Of Gambling On College Basketball

Discover the NCAA's fight against the high rate of gambling on college basketball. Get the inside scoop!

Published On

May 14, 2024

Dove Recovery's Team

NCAA And The High Rate Of Gambling On College Basketball

Impact of Sports Betting on NCAA

The rise of legalized sports betting has had a significant impact on the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The increased prevalence of sports wagering, particularly on college basketball, has prompted the NCAA to advocate for updated laws to protect the integrity of the competition and the well-being of student-athletes.

Legalization of Sports Betting

In May 2018, the Supreme Court of the United States granted states the power to legalize and regulate U.S. sports betting. Since then, 38 states and the District of Columbia have legalized sports betting in some capacity, with several more states actively considering legislation [1]. This trend has potentially exposed college athletes to peers who engage in sports betting, raising concerns about the impact on the athletes and the games they play.

In the five years since the Supreme Court decision, an estimated $226 billion has been wagered in the U.S., generating over $18 billion in profits for bookmakers, and an estimated $3 billion in tax revenue supporting state budgets. Specifically, an estimated 68 million U.S. adults bet on the NCAA “March Madness” basketball tournament alone, wagering around $15.5 billion on this one event.

NCAA's Advocacy for Updated Laws

In response to the rapid legalization of sports betting across the country, the NCAA has begun advocating for updated sports betting laws in state legislatures. The aim is to protect student-athletes from harassment, coercion, and problem gambling, and to ensure the integrity of NCAA competition.

In particular, the NCAA is pushing for states with legal wagering on sporting events to ban prop bets on college athletes. This is an effort to protect the integrity of competition and prevent student-athletes from being harassed.

However, the NCAA has faced criticism for its uneven enforcement of gambling prohibitions and has proposed easing suspension and loss of eligibility for gambling violations. Critics argue this indicates a lack of a comprehensive solution to the issue.

The legalization of sports betting poses both opportunities and challenges for the NCAA. The organization's ongoing efforts to advocate for updated laws reflect the complexities of addressing the high rate of gambling on college basketball.

NCAA's Response to Sports Betting

With the growing prevalence of sports betting and the legalization of sports wagering in numerous states, the NCAA has taken decisive steps to address the impact on college basketball and their athletes.

Amended Disciplinary Policy

The NCAA has amended its disciplinary policy to modernize penalties for college athletes who violate its rules against sports betting. These changes reflect the new reality of legal sports wagering in many states. The updated guidelines are a significant shift from the previous reinstatement rules, which dictated that student-athletes who wagered on sports at any level would lose one full season of collegiate eligibility. The new rules apply to any gambling infractions reported on or after May 2 [6].

Penalties for Violations

Under the new rules, the penalties for violations vary based on the nature of the infraction.

Student-athletes who engage in activities to influence the outcomes of their own games, or provide information to individuals involved in sports betting activities, will potentially face a permanent ban from NCAA participation.
An athlete betting on the sport they’re involved with at another school could face a half-season ban and required education on NCAA gambling rules.
NCAA athletes who bet on sports in a general sense face education and partial suspensions. The amount wagered determines the level of suspension for a single season.

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Violation	Penalty
Influencing outcomes or providing information	Permanent ban
Betting on their sport at another school	Half-season ban, education
General sports betting	Education, partial suspension

These updated penalties reflect the NCAA's commitment to maintaining the integrity of college basketball and protecting student-athletes from the risks associated with sports betting.

Regulations and Prohibitions

The NCAA has firm regulations and prohibitions in place to curb the high rate of gambling on college basketball and other sports. This is done to protect the integrity of the sports and the welfare of the student-athletes involved.

NCAA's Betting Rules

The NCAA's sports wagering rules are comprehensive and cover both the popular and niche sports. It prohibits student-athletes or athletics employees from betting on any sport sponsored by the NCAA at any level, whether it be collegiate or professional. This prohibition also extends to sharing information for sports wagering purposes.

This means that not only are bets on well-known sports such as football and basketball prohibited, but also on less mainstream collegiate sports like synchronized swimming. The prohibition also covers professional leagues such as the NBA, NFL, NHL, or MLB.

These rules were put in place to ensure fair play and to prevent any form of manipulation or corruption in the sports.

Consequences for Student-Athletes

If a student-athlete is found to have violated the sports wagering prohibitions, the consequences can be severe. Depending on the severity of the violation, they can lose part or all of their athletic eligibility, pending an appeal to the Committee on Student-Athlete Reinstatement.

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Violation	Consequence
Betting on NCAA sponsored sports	Loss of athletic eligibility
Sharing information for wagering	Loss of athletic eligibility

These penalties are determined on a case-by-case basis and aim to deter student-athletes from engaging in any form of sports wagering. Despite the fact that the Supreme Court of the United States granted states the power to legalize and regulate U.S. sports betting in May 2018, with currently 34 states and Washington D.C. having legalized it, the NCAA maintains its strict stance against sports betting among its athletes and staff members.

Efforts to Protect Student-Athletes

The NCAA is aware of the high rate of gambling on college basketball and has implemented several strategies to protect student-athletes from the potential harms of sports wagering.

EPIC Risk Management Partnership

In a bid to create awareness and provide education on sports wagering gambling harm, the NCAA has partnered with EPIC Risk Management. Through this collaboration, they have developed a comprehensive prevention program that has already seen more than 10,000 student-athletes and administrators attend in-person programming. Importantly, this program is offered free to the membership.

Education and Prevention Programs

Further efforts to curtail the impact of sports wagering on student-athletes have seen the NCAA offer both in-person and online sports wagering gambling harm prevention programs. These initiatives are designed to help student-athletes understand the decisions that could jeopardize their athletic careers.

One such program is the Student-Athlete Gambling Awareness (SAGA) program. Established to raise awareness about gambling behaviors, especially in relation to sports betting, SAGA educates student-athletes on the rules and regulations they will face at the collegiate level. It also provides information on the risks of gambling problems and helps individuals find assistance if needed [8].

These efforts are especially critical when considering the findings of a survey that showed 67% of students living on campus actively bet on sports. Alarmingly, 6% of respondents reported losing over $500 in a single day betting on sports, suggesting that college-age adults are at much higher risk for serious gambling problems [3].

While these efforts are commendable, there remains a need for additional protections for student-athletes from gambling-related threats. Currently, few protections exist outside of referring to law enforcement for the most egregious threats. As such, the NCAA continues to work with university administrators, law enforcement, state regulators, and sports league officials to develop strategies to better protect athletes from the impacts of sports gambling.

Trends in Sports Wagering

Wagering on sports, and particularly on NCAA college basketball, has seen significant growth in recent years. An analysis of betting trends during the NCAA's March Madness tournament and findings from national surveys provide insight into this phenomenon.

March Madness Betting

The NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship, also known as March Madness, draws a significant amount of betting activity. According to the American Gaming Association, more than $15 billion was wagered during March Madness on the 2023 Championship.

In 2023 alone, an estimated 68 million Americans wagered over $15.5 billion on the men’s NCAA Tournament, which was more than five times the amount in 2022. This sharp increase reflects the growing popularity of sports betting.

Over the five years since a Supreme Court decision opened the way for states to legalize sports betting, an estimated $226 billion has been wagered in the U.S., generating over $18 billion in profits for bookmakers, and an estimated $3 billion in tax revenue supporting state budgets.

National Surveys and Findings

National surveys also provide a clear picture of sports wagering trends. A survey of more than 3,500 18-to-22-year-olds found that sports wagering is pervasive among college students, with 58% having engaged in at least one sports betting activity, and 67% of students living on campus are bettors.

Surveys of Americans ages 18-22 reflect a surge in sports betting, with nearly 60% reporting having wagered on sports, and 4% doing so daily. Additionally, one in 10 are habitual or problem gamblers [1].

These trends underscore the growing prevalence of sports wagering among young adults, particularly college students, which the NCAA and other stakeholders are striving to address through increased regulations, education, and prevention efforts. The high rate of gambling on college basketball is a concern that continues to draw attention and action from the NCAA.

Challenges and Concerns

While the NCAA has made strides in managing the impact of sports betting on college basketball, there remain substantial challenges and concerns. Two areas of particular concern are prop bets and harassment, and social media abuse and threats.

Prop Bets and Harassment

Prop bets, or proposition bets, are wagers made on specific aspects of a sports event, such as how many points a particular player will score. The NCAA is pushing for states with legal wagering on sporting events to ban prop bets on college athletes in an effort to protect the integrity of competition and prevent student-athletes from being harassed [5].

Companies monitoring sports betting have warned that prop betting on unpaid college athletes increases the risk of potential scandals. This is due to players being able to influence their own performance more easily than the overall outcome of a game.

Social Media Abuse and Threats

Since the new gambling laws went into effect in Ohio in January 2023, there has been a notable uptick in online abuse and threats targeted at college athletes. University of Dayton basketball players were targeted with hateful comments online after dropping a fourteen-point lead late in the game. Ohio State football players also received death threats after a disappointing performance.

This highlighted how with extensive social media access and broad sports betting participation, athletes are at risk of increased hostility, abuse, and threats. The FBI and other regulatory agencies consider the threats and abuse towards athletes due to gambling as a “growing issue” of concern, with hundreds of instances of undesirable behavior logged each year.

Hostility and threats are particularly prevalent when teams fail to “beat the spread,” or perform according to gamblers’ or bookmakers’ projections. Currently, there are few protections or avenues for addressing these behaviors outside referring to law enforcement for the most egregious threats [3].

These challenges underscore the importance of the NCAA’s ongoing efforts to establish regulations and safeguards to protect student-athletes from the negative aspects of sports betting. As the landscape of sports wagering continues to evolve, so too must the NCAA's strategies to manage the high rate of gambling on college basketball.