NCAA lessens penalties for student-athletes who bet on other teams at their schools
The guidelines set by the NCAA's Division I council coordination committee previously called for the permanent loss of a student-athlete's eligibility in those cases.
The NCAA’s Division I council coordination committee has updated its guidelines for reinstatement regarding student-athletes who place wagers on other sports at their schools. The guidelines reduced the penalties, which previously called for the permanent loss of a student-athlete’s eligibility in those cases.
Athletes who place wagers on other sports at their schools will be ruled ineligible for one season and lose a season of eligibility, the NCAA announced Wednesday. In addition, athletes who commit gambling violations will be required to participate in sports wagering rules and prevention education as a condition of reinstatement.
When the Division I legislative committee amended its gambling guidelines in June, athletes could permanently lose eligibility for what the NCAA called “influencing the outcome of their own games or knowingly providing information to people within the sports betting industry” for betting on any sport, including their own.
“To be clear, Division I members do not encourage student-athletes to engage in sports wagering at any level, and the actions today to modify reinstatement conditions should not be interpreted as support for wagering behaviors,” Jon Steinbrecher, chair of the council coordination committee and commissioner of the Mid-American Conference, said in a statement Wednesday. “NCAA members continue to prioritize integrity of competition and felt that reinstatement conditions for violations of wagering rules should reflect that focus and, when possible, also accommodate opportunities for preventative education.”
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This latest round of new guidelines applies to student-athletes who are currently serving suspensions related to wagering on different teams that were effective after May 2.
Before the changes this summer, the NCAA had a zero-tolerance policy against sports betting, prohibiting players and coaches from placing wagers. Athletes who placed wagers on sports would lose one full season of college eligibility, even if it was a wager placed on professional sports.
The NCAA says the latest change is the first step to reviewing its rules around athletes’ wagering more broadly.
“Member schools need to fully examine NCAA wagering legislation overall — particularly in light of changes in recent years to federal and state laws — but the council agreed that additional changes should not be made until potential changes to rules are contemplated,” Steinbrecher added.