NCAA relaxes reinstatement guidelines for student-athletes sports betting
Players will now be banned for one season and lose a year of eligibility before being allowed to return
The National College Athletics Association (NCAA) has amended the rules for student-athletes who place bets on other teams in their school.
College sport’s governing body confirmed, at the start of October, that a full review would take place to relax the procedures and allow student-athletes who have been caught engaging in sports betting to return to playing for their respective college.
In June, the NCAA Division I Legislative Committee approved rules to enforce that players found placing bets on other teams would result in a permanent loss of eligibility.
However, an adjustment to ease these rules was requested by the Conference Commissioners Association in early October, and was supported by the Division I Council at its meeting October 4.
Effective immediately, the reinstatement guidelines will begin at “one season of ineligibility and a loss of one year of eligibility” and will be applied to student-athletes currently serving betting-related suspensions that were reported on or after May 2, 2023.
Athletes will also be enrolled in sports wagering rules and prevention education as part of the reinstatement process.
The rule change does not apply to student-athletes who place bets on their own team, with the penalty for this continuing to be a permanent loss of collegiate eligibility.
Jon Steinbrecher, chair of the council coordination committee chair and Mid-American Conference commissioner, reiterated that the changes in rules are not an endorsement for players to place wagers.
Steinbrecher said: “To be clear, Division I members do not encourage student-athletes to engage in sports wagering at any level, and the actions today to modify reinstatement conditions should not be interpreted as support for wagering behaviors.”
As it stands, NCAA rules still state that “it remains impermissible for student-athletes, coaches, and athletics administrators to engage in sports wagering in any sport sponsored by the NCAA, including collegiate and professional sports”.
Steinbrecher added: “The council agreed with Division I commissioners that the reinstatement conditions for wagering violations in limited circumstances should be adjusted.
“Member schools need to fully examine NCAA wagering legislation overall – particularly in light of changes in recent years to federal and state laws – but the council agreed that additional changes should not be made until potential changes to rules are contemplated,” he concluded.
The NCAA’s adjustment comes weeks after the NFL overhauled its punishments for players found betting on games.
Players found breaching rules will now be given an indefinite suspension for a minimum of one year, two if the game includes a player’s own team. Additionally, actual or attempted match-fixing will result in permanent exclusion from the league.