With the proliferation of sports betting across the United States, there is a fear that college athletes could be at risk for problem gambling. The NCAA has been tasked to try and monitor wagering by athletes, as well as coaches and administrative staff.
There have been a series of betting scandals involving colleges recently. Two assistant baseball coaches at the University of Cincinnati were fired after knowing about a parent of a member of the team betting on games and failing to report it to the NCAA.
At Iowa State, approximately 15 student-athletes from football, wrestling and track and field may have violated NCAA rules regarding gambling. At the University of Iowa, 111 individuals had been flagged in the investigation, including 26 student-athletes in baseball, football, men’s basketball, men’s track and field and wrestling, plus one full-time employee in the UI athletics department.
At Alabama, the Crimson Tide’s head baseball coach Brad Bohannon was fired when he was reportedly talking to a bettor who then made large wagers on the team at the Great American Ball Park’s sportsbook in Ohio.
So far, the NCAA appears to be able to catch those that violate the organization’s rules regarding gambling. Those rules basically state that NCAA employees, coaches, administrators and athletes cannot wager on any sport — amateur, pro or college — in which the association sponsors a championship.
Matthew Holt, president of U.S. Integrity, told CBS Sportsline that the rules might need to be changed. “I think it needs to be reconsidered,” Holt said. “At the end of the day, you’re not really likely to have any influence. … Why can’t a baseball player at LSU bet on a basketball game involving the University of Michigan?”
Mark Hicks, the NCAA’s managing director of enforcement told CBS Sportsline that it is an issue the NCAA needs to address.
“It’s a great question and one that our membership is going to continue to have to wrestle with,” Hicks said. “We’ve seen an evolution with how society deals with sports betting, with also the fact that there are people that develop gambling addictions.”
That is the biggest concern, that athletes become addicted and then try and manipulate a contest they are involved in. They also face threats if they have a poor performance in a game. The FBI said that threats to college athletes are on the rise.
Holt said the answer is a proactive approach.
“The problem with addiction is we can’t stop it,” Holt told CBS. “The biggest needs we have in the industry now is monitoring, education and treatment. I think all three of those segments have been underserved. There are some companies doing addiction therapy. There needs to be more.”
