NCAA Reverses Course On Pro Sports Betting For Athletes

The NCAA has officially walked back a rule change that would have allowed college athletes and athletic department staff to bet on professional sports, rescinding the proposal Friday after fresh betting scandals across multiple leagues.

Division I Reconsideration Vote

Division I members triggered a rarely used 30-day reconsideration window after the policy was adopted in October by less than 75% of the DI Council. More than two-thirds of schools needed to vote to block the change. That threshold was reached Friday, one day before the reconsideration period expired, preserving the long-standing ban.

The reversal comes at a moment when gambling integrity concerns are intensifying across sports. In the last month, an NBA coach and a current player were arrested in separate federal gambling investigations, while six Division I men’s basketball players lost their eligibility for wagering violations.

NCAA Considered Harm-Reduction Approach

Originally framed as a harm-reduction strategy that would free NCAA enforcement staff to focus on risks like point-shaving and manipulation, the proposal met swift resistance from inside college sports.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey urged NCAA president Charlie Baker to rescind the policy outright, warning the line between college and pro markets “has never been thinner” amid ongoing investigations.

Some SEC representatives on the DI Council had actually supported the rule change, but presidents and chancellors across the league unified in opposition during an October meeting.

Ban Remains Across All Divisions

The DI vote blocks similar policy shifts in Divisions II and III, meaning athletes and staff at all NCAA levels will remain prohibited from betting on professional sports.

The longstanding ban on wagering on NCAA events was never up for reconsideration.

NCAA enforcement officials say betting-related caseloads continue to climb, with more than a dozen investigations still active, a backdrop that made the membership’s reversal increasingly likely as Friday approached.

Photo by AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File