AP’s Indianapolis A plan that would permit athletes and staff to wager on professional sports and direct enforcement resources toward college sports betting and actions that have a direct impact on game integrity is being considered by the NCAA.
The idea, which will be reviewed this fall and put into effect if Divisions II and III authorities agree, was presented by the Division I Council.
The NCAA would continue to restrict both sharing information about college events with gamblers and placing wagers on college sports. Additionally, betting-related sponsorships and advertising are prohibited during NCAA championship events.
The change was made as the company struggles with the expansion of legalized gambling in the US. There have been sporadic accusations, including some earlier this year, against betting systems, and NCAA President Charlie Baker and other college sports administrators have expressed worry about gamblers criticizing athletes on social media for their performance.
The NCAA announced on Wednesday that its enforcement staff is working on providing notifications of allegations in a number of ongoing gambling cases, and that other breaches relating to sports betting by NCAA school employees had been addressed in recent years.
However, the NCAA has recognized the difficulties in preventing adult athletes from wagering on professional sports at hundreds of institutions. The NCAA has a multi-year agreement with Genius Sports, which provides authorized sportsbooks with actual NCAA data, that prohibits negative prop bets, and it relaxed its reinstatement rules two years ago.
According to Josh Whitman, the council chairman and athletics director at Illinois, NCAA rules banning sports betting at all levels were drafted and approved during a period when sports betting was essentially banned across the country. Division I members have decided that additional debate of these sports betting regulations is necessary as sports betting has gained popularity nationwide, especially in relation to any potential differences between betting on professional and collegiate sports.
Athletes who wager on their own team or sport risk a lifelong suspension from collegiate athletics. Current NCAA regulations prohibit athletes and institutional staff from participating in sports betting for any sport with NCAA championships.
According to NCAA vice president of enforcement Jon Duncan, the enforcement staff’s caseload pertaining to sports betting has grown dramatically in recent years, and our staff—including our recently established sports betting integrity unit—has been successful in identifying and pursuing infractions.
The NCAA’s chief medical officer, Dr. Deena Casiero, stated that permitting professional sports betting could be more practical and successful than a strategy that solely relies on abstinence, paving the door for education and a greater comprehension of the dangers.
Schools may be better able to prevent, identify, and help student-athletes who engage in problematic gambling behaviors if they meet them where they are, according to Casiero.
As part of the $2.8 billion House settlement, the Division I Board of Directors formally imposed roster limitations for NCAA sports this week. The settlement also permits revenue-sharing and gives colleges the freedom to grant as many scholarships as they like while staying within the roster caps.
Additionally, the Division I Council this week:
supported a suggested cap of 32 regular-season games for women’s and men’s basketball starting in 2026–2027. Early-season tournament organizers are among the critics, claiming that the move would lead to fewer high-profile matches.
proposed adding women’s flag football to the list of new sports for women. With its explosive growth in popularity, flag football will make its Olympic debut at the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
changed the schedule to allow Football Championship Subdivision programs to play in 12 regular-season games annually beginning in 2026.
voted to present plans that would create NCAA titles for women’s stunt and women’s acrobatics and tumbling as early as spring 2027, if Divisions II and III also approved them. The popularity of the sports has increased.
decided to divide the fencing championships’ scoring in order to honor the top teams in both the men’s and women’s divisions. The current scoring system makes it statistically impossible for women’s-only teams to win the national title. Additionally, Divisions II and III must support the initiative.
