Published on: October 29, 2025, 09:29h.
Updated on: October 29, 2025, 09:29h.
- NCAA postpones decision on allowing student-athletes to engage in professional sports betting
- SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey opposes the proposed sports betting policy
The NCAA has opted to delay its decision regarding student-athletes and athletic department staff engaging in betting on professional sports.
Last week, the organization governing college sports revealed that student-athletes, coaches, trainers, and administrative staff would potentially be permitted to place bets on professional sports through legal avenues. This decision followed approvals from the Division I Administrative Committee and the Management Councils of Divisions II and III.
Currently, all collegiate athletes and relevant team personnel are prohibited from betting on any sports, whether collegiate or professional. On Tuesday, the NCAA announced that a request to withdraw this proposal had been submitted by a Division I institution.
Division I regulations allow member institutions to propose the rescission of an ordinance if it was adopted with less than a 75% majority among the 19-member Division I Cabinet.
The postponement follows a significant sports gambling scandal that affected the NBA. Federal authorities are alleging that several players and coaches were involved in insider betting schemes, including game-fixing and manipulation of injury reports. At least two coaches face accusations of providing insider information about players’ injuries.
SEC Commissioner Advocates for Reversal
Greg Sankey, Commissioner of the Southeastern Conference, is a prominent voice in college athletics.
Sankey stands firmly against the NCAA’s proposal to allow student-athletes to wager on professional sports.
“On behalf of our universities, I advocate for immediate action by the NCAA Division I Board of Directors to withdraw this change and reinforce the Association’s commitment to preserving strong national standards, keeping collegiate participants separate from sports wagering activities. If there are legal or practical concerns with the previous policy, those should be addressed through careful adjustments instead of completely dismantling the safeguards that have historically upheld the integrity of competitions and the welfare of participants,” Sankey stated.
Advocates for the new policy argue that the current regulations create an excessive monitoring burden for universities and the NCAA. Over 1,000 institutions partake in NCAA events across 24 sports, encompassing more than 540,000 student-athletes.
Ensuring that none of these athletes engage in gambling across all disciplines is a significant, costly challenge that requires the involvement of third-party monitoring firms such as IC360, Sportradar, and Genius Sports, which cannot effectively oversee most unregulated offshore sportsbooks.
Furthermore, it is argued that college athletes generally lack the influence to alter the outcomes of professional games. The restriction on college athlete participation in sports betting primarily serves to safeguard the integrity of college athletics.
Anticipated Implementation Date
Unless the NCAA Division I Board of Directors aligns with Sankey’s position and opts to withdraw the proposed allowance for student-athlete betting on professional sports, the NCAA has indicated that the new regulation will be enacted on Saturday, November 22.
Should this occur, conferences, including Sankey’s SEC, along with colleges and universities, would retain the authority to bar their athletes and team staff from betting on professional sports.