NCAA Has Found 175 Sports Wagering Violations Since 2018
The NCAA has disclosed to U.S. Rep. Dina Titus of Nevada that there have been 175 violations of its sports wagering policies dating back to the start of the post-PASPA era in 2018.
The Associated Press was the first to report the information, obtaining a letter from NCAA President Charlie Baker to Titus on Wednesday that detailed the findings. Of the 175 violations, ranging from what Baker called athletes, coaches, and administrators making “$5 wagers” to “providing inside information,” 17 are currently being investigated by college sports’ governing body.
Titus, whose congressional district includes the Las Vegas Strip and is home to a sizable portion of legal sports wagering in the U.S, sent letters to leaders of professional sports leagues last month asking them to “clarify their sports betting policies and assure fans that the games they watch and choose to bet on are fair” in light of multiple player suspensions being handed down by the NFL for violations of the league’s policy.
There have been two high-profile sports wagering incidents at the college level in recent months, with since-fired Alabama head coach Brad Bohanon and Bert Neff Jr. caught for suspicious wagering activity in April when Neff reportedly attempted to wager $100,000 at Great American Ball Park in Ohio on the Crimson Tide’s game versus LSU.
Neff’s wagering activities also reportedly contributed to the firing of two assistant baseball coaches at the University of Cincinnati, where Neff’s son Andrew was a pitcher. It has been reported by Sports Illustrated that Bearcats head coach Scott Googins’ assistants knew of Neff’s betting activity and failed to disclose that information to administrators. Googins resigned at the end of the season, but athletic director John Cunningham made no mention about the firings.
Officials at Iowa and Iowa State announced previously that more than 40 student-athletes were being investigated for potential violations regarding sports wagering, with the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission opening an investigation into the matter.
NCAA touts integrity, educational awareness
College sports has garnered both increased attention and scrutiny with the expansion of sports wagering across the United States, with lawmakers trying to find a balance between generating tax revenue and protecting student-athletes. Some states have carveouts banning wagering on in-state schools, while others offer a full menu of options.
The NCAA has retained an integrity monitoring service that provides risk assessments, monitoring of pre-game and in-game wagering patterns, and immediate notification of suspicious activities. In his letter to Titus, Baker stated that the NCAA found “less than 0.25% of competitions are flagged for suspicious betting patterns” among its 13,000 regular-season and postseason competitions, which would be fewer than 35 games. The NCAA added that a “much smaller percentage have specific, actionable information” when it came to wagering.
The governing body has been trying to stay ahead of the curve on educational awareness, with more than 10,000 student-athletes and administrators participating in EPIC Risk Management’s programming since the two established a partnership in January 2022.
