NCAA eyes professional athlete protection as wagering expands

• David Purdum, ESPN Personnel WriterOct 4
• , 2023, 03:31 PM ET Close Signed up with ESPN in 2014 Journalist covering gambling market given that 2008

NCAA president Charlie Baker wants state lawmakers to take steps to much better secure student-athletes from harassment and coercion from bettors and to combat dangers to the integrity of the games as widespread, legal college sports wagering takes hold in the United States.The NCAA announced Wednesday that it will start promoting for state laws to include increased charges for bettors who bother student-athletes, compulsory reporting hotlines for gambling-related dangers, an uniform minimum wagering age of 21 and funding for the education of university student about the threats of betting.The NCAA also is requesting input on what types of wagers

are allowed at sportsbooks, mentioning prop bets on specific player performances as”especially vulnerable to stability concerns.”” The NCAA is making modifications to help student-athletes make smart options when it concerns sports wagering, but offered the explosive growth of this brand-new industry, we aspire to partner with legislators, regulators and industry leaders to secure student-athletes from harassment and risks, “Baker stated in a release announcing the advocacy campaign.Editor’s Picks The FBI has actually characterized dangers by wagerers to student-athletes as a growing concern, and betting scandals have turned up at several NCAA schools this year.In Might, Alabama fired its head baseball coach after he was linked to suspicious wagering activity on a Crimson Tide game versus LSU. Days later, authorities accused lots

of student-athletes at Iowa and Iowa State of wagering violations.Thirty-five states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have launched betting markets since 2018, when the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a federal statute that had limited sports gambling to mostly Nevada.

Florida, Maine and Vermont have actually passed sports betting bills.The NCAA disclosed in July that there had been 175 sports betting offenses by athletic department administrators, coaches and student-athletes given that the 2018 ruling from the Supreme Court. The infractions ranged from small wagers of$5-$10 to players banking on their own schools or offering details, Baker composed in an action letter to U.S. Congresswoman Dina Titus on July 12.”Some states have great policies on the books to protect student-athletes from harassment and coercion and to safeguard the integrity of the games, but as more states pass or modify laws, more needs to be done, “Baker stated in Wednesday’s release.