The NCAA has pushed back a rule change that would allow college athletes to bet on professional sports. Originally set to take effect Saturday, November 1, the rule has been delayed for three weeks, to November 22.
NCAA athletes are not permitted to place wagers on college sports, nor will they even if the new rule eventually goes through.
The move comes on the heels of a letter from Southeastern Conference (SEC) Commissioner Greg Sankey to NCAA President Charlie Baker on Tuesday, asking him to cancel the rule entirely.
“On behalf of our universities, I write to urge action by the NCAA Division I Board of Directors to rescind this change and reaffirm the Association’s commitment to maintaining strong national standards that keep collegiate participants separated from sports wagering activity at every level,” Sankey wrote. “If there are legal or practical concerns about the prior policy, those should be addressed through careful refinement — not through wholesale removal of the guardrails that have long supported the integrity of games and the well-being of those who participate.”
The NCAA Division I cabinet voted to permit betting on professional sports last week, followed by the management councils of both Division II and Division III. The NCAA said that the rule’s passage is not an endorsement of gambling; it appears to be an attempt to adapt to the current expanded sports betting environment.
“Our action reflects alignment across divisions while maintaining the principles that guide college sports,” said Slippery Rock Director of Athletics Roberta Page, who also serves as chair of the Division II Management Council, in a press release. “This change recognizes the realities of today’s sports environment without compromising our commitment to protecting the integrity of college competition or the well-being of student-athletes.”
All of this follows less than a week behind the stunning report that Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trailblazers head coach Chauncey Billups were arrested for crimes related to gambling. Rozier was charged with fraud and money laundering for allegedly faking an injury to leave a game early and telling people ahead of time so they could make money betting on his player props. Billups was allegedly part of a scheme to fix poker games backed by members of the mafia.
Less than two months ago, three men’s college basketball players were banned from the sport for participating in a gambling scheme in which one of them manipulated his play to win bets.