Gambling

With the Super Bowl just around the corner, and March Madness looming in a little over a month, now is a good time to review NCAA regulations regarding gambling. We are all aware that illegal sports gambling peaks during this time of year, and while the FBI is not likely to kick down any doors to expose a twenty-dollar Super Bowl bet, the NCAA takes such matters very seriously. At many schools in the recent past, coaches have lost their jobs or student-athletes have lost their intercollegiate eligibility over gambling activities, including an Ivy League student who lost his eligibility for betting on the Super Bowl.

You may ask yourself why you should take these rules seriously, especially if you don't play football. But the NCAA is legitimately acting to protect student-athletes. You might be gambling on Major League Baseball, or NFL Football, but it makes no difference. Once a student-athlete owes more than they can pay back, a bookie might arrange for a "creative" form of payback. They will ask the student-athlete to shave points, or to throw a game, or to introduce them to someone who can. And if the student-athlete gives in and does it once, the bookies return, threatening to turn the students in if they don't assist in additional illegal activity. Don't let this happen to you. There are published point spreads on many Ivy League competitions, and if there is a point spread, then someone, somewhere, is betting on the game.

NCAA Bylaw 10.3: Gambling Activities

Student-athletes (and staff members) shall not:

1) Provide information to individuals involved in organized gambling activities concerning intercollegiate athletics competition
2) Accept a bet on any intercollegiate team, or any team representing the institution (including club teams).
3) Participate in any gambling activity that involves intercollegiate athletics or professional athletics, whether through a bookie, a parlay card, or any other method employed by organized gambling.

Q & A:

Q. May a student-athlete participate in a video game tournament with other students on campus?
A. Yes, student-athletes may participate in a video game tournament because video games are not considered to be an NCAA sponsored sport.

Q. May a student-athlete participate in a sports pool?
A. A student-athlete may not participate in a sports pool or provide information to other individuals who are using that information to participate in a sports pool.

Q. May a student-athlete be interviewed for the school newspaper on his or her predictions?
A. A student-athlete may not participate in an interview for the school newspaper that is based on his or her predictions of an intercollegiate sporting event. We would strongly advise not doing so for a professional event, either.

Q. May a student-athlete buy a "square" in a Super Bowl scoring pool?
A. No. This would technically be a wager on a professional sporting event.

Q. May a student-athlete make a bet on something other than the score of the Super Bowl (i.e. coin toss, who will be the MVP, etc.)
A. No. "Proposition bets," as they are commonly known, are still wagers that involve professional athletics. Therefore, they are prohibited by NCAA rules.