With sports betting legal in more than 30 states and more than half of college-age students reporting having bet on sports at least once in the previous year, it's clear that sports betting has become a part of how fans consume sports.  However, it also creates a serious threat to the well-being of our student-athletes and to the integrity of NCAA competition.

At the NCAA, we want to help educate student-athletes, coaches and administrators on what the Association’s rules are, help them understand the dangers associated with engaging in sports betting and provide resources to protect student-athletes and their sports. With assistance from industry experts, we are educating student-athletes and staff, tracking online threats and monitoring the integrity of competitions to protect student-athletes against the risk of sports betting.

What’s the NCAA rule about sports betting?

NCAA rules ban participation in sports betting activities and prohibit providing information to individuals involved in or associated with any type of sports betting activities concerning intercollegiate, amateur or professional athletics competition.

In other words, if you are a student-athlete, coach or athletics staff member, regardless of sport or division, you are not allowed to bet or provide any useful information that can influence a bet in any sport the NCAA sponsors at any level.

What’s the issue surrounding sports betting?

Prevalence of sports betting among college students and the impacts on student-athletes.

• An April 2023 NCAA survey of more than 3,500 18- to 22-year-olds shows sports betting is pervasive among young adults across the country, with 58% saying they have engaged in at least one sports betting activity.
• In the April survey, 6% said they have lost more than $500 on sports betting in a single day.
• In a September 2023 NCAA survey of campus compliance directors and their experience with sports betting issues, 27% of autonomy schools had dealt with a sports betting problem among their athletes or staff within the past year, a substantial increase from a survey in 2019. 

With such significant growth in the prevalence of sports betting in the United States, particularly on college campuses, it threatens the health and well-being of student-athletes and the integrity of NCAA competition. 

Why is the NCAA concerned about sport betting?

The rise in sports betting creates unique challenges in college athletics. 

• Certain bets such as player-specific prop bets create circumstances where student-athletes and other athletics personnel received targeted harassment by bettors.  The September 2023 NCAA survey of campus administrators found 10% of Division I respondents said they were aware of student-athletes being harassed online or in person by someone with gambling interests.
• Billion-dollar ad campaigns can entice student-athletes or those around them to engage in sports betting irresponsibly. College-age students are more likely to develop problem gambling habits.

What is the NCAA doing about sports betting?

Anti-social media harassment pilot program

• The NCAA is working with Signify Group to pilot an anti-social media harassment initiative for the 2023-24 championship season on select championships with a heightened risk for harassment and abuse directed at our championship participants, particularly student-athletes.

Education with EPIC Risk Management

• Over 20,000 student-athletes, coaches and administrators have been reached as part of the NCAA’s educational efforts with EPIC, the largest program of its kind globally.
• The EPIC program has been made available to all NCAA campuses and conferences with a blend of delivery options, including in-person education workshops and seminars, prerecorded sessions, and on-demand virtual resources.
• The NCAA launched its first sports betting e-learning module, designed to educate more than 500,000 current and prospective student-athletes on problem gambling harms and the risks sports betting poses to the integrity of the game.
• The data is clear that athletes with firsthand experiences connect with current student-athletes better than any other delivery method.

Integrity monitoring

• Approximately 13,000 contests are monitored annually through the world’s largest global integrity monitoring program with an additional partner.
• About 18,500 officials are screened per year.
• A network of contacts to prevent and detect integrity concerns includes federal and state law enforcement, gaming operators, campus administrators and specialized vendors.

Working with state and federal lawmakers

The NCAA will advocate for updating existing state sports betting laws and regulations to protect student-athletes from harassment or coercion, address the negative impacts of problem gambling and protect the integrity of NCAA competition.