Pennsylvania State University President Eric Barron is asking the state Gaming Control Board to place a two-year moratorium on sport wagers involving all in-state collegiate teams.
The provision would mimic a provision of New Jersey’s sports-betting law that prohibits wagers on in-state college teams and sporting events.
According to a report on the PennLive website, Barron said the schools, their conferences and the NCAA will all need a period of at least two years to educate athletes, coaches and schools on the potential risks posed to collegiate athletics by sports betting, saying the schools “will need to develop a training program for students-athletes, staff and perhaps the student body as a whole on the rules applicable to sports betting.”
The letter went on to suggest that the board adopt New Jersey’s model of permanently prohibiting bets on in-state college games.
He noted that such a provision would create “the right balance of allowing for sports wagering on collegiate sporting events and… protecting the integrity of collegiate sport events and the welfare of students-athletes domiciled in that state.”
Finally, Barron’s letter suggested that Penn State may pursue some kind of “integrity fee” to cover the increased costs of monitoring wagering.
A decision on Barron’s recommendations is expected later this summer.
