The NCAA Division I Legislative Committee has released a memo outlining the amended guidelines for reinstating the eligibility of athletes who have committed sports wagering violations.
According to the memo, the new reinstatement system will be a tiered process and will depend on whether or not the student wagered on their own team, college sports, or professional sports, and the amount wagered.
The new guidelines are applicable to all violations reported on or after May 2nd 2023 and are as follows:
- Student-athletes who influence the outcomes of their own games or provide information to individuals involved in sports betting could face lifetime bans.
- Those who wager on their own sport taking place at another school will require education on sports wagering rules. They may also face a suspension of 50% of season playing time.
- Punishments for all other types of betting violations will depend on the amount wagered.
- $200 or less – sports wagering rules and prevention education.
- $201-$500 – education + suspension for 10% of season
- $501-$800 – education + suspension for 20% of season
- $800+ – education + suspension for 30% of season
Any wagering violations that are significantly above the $800 threshold will be viewed on a case-by-case basis with permanent bans a possibility.
Alex Ricker-Gilbert, athletics director at Jacksonville and chair of the DI Legislative Committee said of the new guidelines:
“These new guidelines modernize penalties for college athletes at a time when sports wagering has been legalized in dozens of states and is easily accessible nationwide with online betting platforms. While sports wagering by college athletes is still a concern — particularly as we remain committed to preserving the integrity of competition in college sports — consideration of mitigating factors is appropriate as staff prescribe penalties for young people who have made mistakes in this space.”
The need for a new set of guidelines follows several high profile instances of sports betting violations in college sports. In May, multiple athletes were dropped from the Hawkeyes baseball team while the NCAA investigated possible betting violations. In the same month, Ohio’s gambling regulator prohibited all gambling on Alabama college baseball following suspicious betting activity on a Crimson Tide vs. LSU game.
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