The more forbidden the fruit, the greater the temptation. College athletes may want to engage in sports wagering, but the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) prohibits it in all cases. While it is understandable that they cannot bet on their own games, they are also prohibited from wagering on professional sports teams they aren’t involved with. That may be changing.
On October 8, 2025, the NCAA announced that its Division I Administrative Committee had drafted and adopted a proposal that would allow Division I student-athletes and staff members of Division I athletic departments to place bets on pro sports events. The move was endorsed by the Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, with the condition that education and support be provided to teach betting harm reduction and treat gambling addiction problems. NCAA Division I contests are considered the highest level of competition in college sports.
It’s not quite time for student-athletes to bet online or hit the nearest sportsbook to lock down the under in the Packers-Bengals game just yet, though. The proposed NCAA rule change must also be approved by the administrative committees of Division II and Division III schools. Even if the sports gambling proposal is accepted at all three levels of competition, student-athletes will still be forbidden from betting on any college games.
Statistics Majors Might Be Excited
The NCAA is the governing body that oversees the more than 500,000 student-athletes who compete in a wide array of sports each year. In recent years, the strict rules that defined college students who played sports as amateurs have loosened. Breaking from the long-standing stance that waiving tuition costs was the only permissible compensation for student-athletes, the NCAA began to allow players to cash in on name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals in 2021.
Given the millions that schools and the NCAA make from the efforts of college football and basketball players (and, to a lesser degree, some other college sports), permitting students to make NIL deals had some public support. As only 2% of all NCAA student-athletes go on to play in the National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), the Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA), and other professional sports leagues, it allows them to make money off their NILs while they still have value.
Just like professional leagues, the NCAA assesses sanctions for any sports betting violations committed by its players. If the proposal goes into effect, student-athletes will still be banned from betting on any college sporting events. It doesn’t matter if it involves teams that the student has no contact or interaction with, although the penalties are more severe for those who bet on any games they participate in.
The Race Is Not Always To the Swift … But It Might Make a Good Bet
The announcement by the DI Administrative Committee was part of a busy day that also saw it rename itself the Division I Cabinet moving forward. In addition, it introduced a proposal that would allow schools to allow up to two additional commercial logos on their uniforms, likely adding a significant source of revenue. Currently, only the logo of the manufacturing company is permitted. An additional logo would also be allowed on equipment. The new logos would not be permitted during NCAA championship games and tournaments.
The move to allow college students to bet on professional sports was likely motivated by the difficulty of enforcing the ban and the realization that it would continue regardless of the NCAA’s stance. The betting age in most U.S. states is 21, but international online betting platforms often accept bets from any bettor over the age of 18, which means pretty much the entire college population. Now, gamblers may have to hope that the college basketball player they need to make a free throw to cover the spread isn’t distracted by their own NBA prop bets coming through.
Related Resources
- What Is Gaming Law? (FindLaw’s Learn About the Law)
- Delay in Payment Likely Unappealing for Thousands of NCAA Athletes (FindLaw’s Legally Weird)
- College Athletes’ Lawsuit: NCAA Is an ‘Unlawful Cartel‘ (FindLaw’s Tarnished Twenty)
