Officials at Ohio State University recently asked the Ohio Casino Control Commission to restrict the types of sports bets it will allow and to increase penalties for “coercion and cheating.” The OCCC currently is developing rules for sports wagering in the state, which will launch in January.
In a letter to the commissioners, Ohio State Vice President of Government Affairs Stacy Rastaukas wrote, “Our principal concerns are for the ongoing safety and well-being of our student body. Both athlete and non-athlete students will be exposed to undesirable behaviors surrounding wagering on collegiate events, and we must work together to ensure the best outcome for both our student population and the state of Ohio.”
Ohio State recommendations included:
- Limit collegiate sports wagering to football and basketball only.
- Restrict wagers to the outcome of the game and ban prop bets on collegiate sports.
- Increase penalties and enforcement for coercion and cheating.
- Specify that club sports are not eligible wagering activities.
Rastaukas added, “Outside gaming influences from those seeking to gain an edge in their wagering have used college students who are roommates, friends of, or the competitors themselves to create an advantage for themselves or even throw games. This must be prevented for the safety of the students and the integrity of the competition.”
Although Ohio State was the only university to submit stakeholder comments, it’s not the only school with concerns. At a recent “Future of Sports” panel discussion at the Hard Rock Casino in Cincinnati, Xavier University Athletic Director Greg Christopher said, “I get a call once a year, sometimes twice a year from either the FBI or the security company that handles the casinos out in Las Vegas because our line has moved too much. Inevitably, it leads to some questions like, ‘Who was playing? What was known/wasn’t known?’”
Christopher said the rules should not be the same for college and professional sports. He said, “You think about Joey Votto. He’s insulated. He’s making enough money that he’s not going to jeopardize his career over a prop bet or any other kind of gambling activity. But you know our basketball players, who are not making five, six figures, they’re not in that same position. They have to go to class with the same people that are betting on them. They have to live with the same people that are betting on them. That’s very different than a professional athlete.”
Christopher said he’s particularly concerned about prop bets, which are permitted under the Ohio sports betting law. But Cincinnati Reds President Phil Castellini said, “The prop betting is the stuff that can happen along the way. That’s just fun and engaging, especially our game, when we have so many of them, how do I keep people engaged longer per game?”
Miami University Athletic Director David Sayler said players already are exposed to gamblers seeking inside information. “One of our basketball players was telling me he’s gotten random texts about, ‘Are you playing tonight?’ From a cellphone. I don’t know how that person got our student athlete’s cellphone number but they did and that kid was injured. So, they obviously knew there was something going on. And the question was, ‘Are you playing tonight?’ So, that’s the stuff that really keeps me up at night.”
