Iowa State quarterback at center of sports betting criminal investigation
Student athlete Hunter Dekkers charged with tampering with records in Iowa Criminal Division illegal sports betting probe
Iowa State University quarterback Hunter Dekkers is at the center of a criminal investigation in connection with illegal sports wagers allegedly placed by several current and former Hawkeye state athletes.
Dekkers has been accused of placing 26 bets on Iowa State sporting events – most notably a 2021 football game against Big 12 conference foe Oklahoma State – and an affidavit filed on July 31 by the Story County Attorney’s Office charged Dekkers with tampering with records related to the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation’s probe into the incidents.
According to the criminal complaint, Dekkers was alleged to have used a DraftKings account to place approximately 366 cumulative online wagers totaling over $2,799.
The affidavit goes on to allege that Dekkers was under the legal betting age of 21 when a majority of the bets were placed but manipulated the transactions to create the appearance that the bets were placed by other people.
Dekkers, who served as the starting quarterback for all 12 of Iowa State’s games last year as a redshirt sophomore, did not play in the October 23, 2021, contest against Oklahoma State. He faces permanent loss of collegiate eligibility, the penalty imposed by the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) on athletes found to have wagered on their own games or other sports at their school.
According to a statement from his attorney, Dekkers is denying the charge and will plead not guilty.
“This charge attempts to criminalize a daily fact of American life,” the statement reads. “Millions of people share online accounts of all kinds every day. This prosecution interferes with and politicizes what is the business of Iowa State University and the NCAA.
“The investigation at the Iowa universities is the tip of an iceberg. Thousands and thousands of college athletes place bets – usually very small ones – with shared accounts. That is for the schools and the NCAA to police.”
The statement concludes by saying Dekkers will not take part in fall football camp “so he can focus on his studies and on the defense of this criminal charge.”
Dekkers is one of several current or former Iowa State athletes accused of wagering on Cyclones athletic events and being charged.
Paniro Johnson, a sophomore wrestler, and Dodge Sauser, a sophomore offensive lineman on the football team, are alleged to have placed wagers totaling $45,640 and $3,075, respectively, using DraftKings accounts. Ex Hawkeyes basketball player Ahron Ulis, Iowa baseball player Gehrig Christensen, and Iowa kicker Aaron Blom have also been charged over sports betting offences.
Former Iowa State football player Eyioma Uwazurike, who was drafted by the Denver Broncos in 2022, has also been charged.
Uwazurike was recently given an indefinite suspension by the NFL for betting on NFL games during the 2022 season, and will miss the next campaign, becoming eligible for reinstatement in 2024.