NCAA Committee Adopts Proposal to Allow Student-Athletes to Bet on Pro Sports

NCAA Division I leadership has adopted a proposal to allow student athletes and athletics department members to bet on professional sports, the NCAA announced Wednesday.

The proposal was adopted by the DI Administrative Committee following direction from the DI Board of Directors, per the NCAA.

The rule change will go into effect Nov. 1 if approved by Division II and Division III leadership, according to the NCAA. The divisions are expected to vote on the proposal when they meet later this month.

Students and athletics staff members would still be prohibited from betting on college sports under the proposed rule, the NCAA noted.

The NCAA previously reported that the rule change would apply only to sports bets made after the new rule is put into effect.

Committee chair and Illinois athletics director Josh Whitman said in a statement the committee "remains concerned about the risks associated with all forms of sports gambling," and that the rule change was proposed so student athletes could "better align with their campus peers."

The Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee meanwhile said in a statement they hoped the rule change will encourage student-athletes to "seek help" if struggling with gambling issues.

The new rule could go into effect as student-athletes in top sports become wealthier than ever before thanks to revenue-sharing contracts and increased NIL opportunities.

The proposed change also comes amid what the NCAA describes as an increase in reports of college sports-related gambling rule violations over the last few years.

NCAA vice president of enforcement Jon Duncan said in a statement that "enforcement staff are investigating a significant number of cases that are specifically relevant to the NCAA's mission of fair competition, and our focus will remain on those cases and those behaviors that impact the integrity of college sports most directly."

The NCAA Committee on Infractions announced in September it had permanently revoked the college eligibility of three Fresno State and San Jose State men's basketball athletes accused of betting on their own and each other's games.

Later the organization announced an ongoing investigation into alleged sports betting violations by 13 former men's basketball student athletes across six schools.