The organization responsible for college sports is requesting assistance from sportsbooks and regulators following issues found in its Survey of Senior Compliance Administrators on Sports Wagering Issues. According to the study, 27% of schools in the Power Five conferences experienced a sports wagering problem involving their athletes or staff in the past year, compared to only 3% in 2019. Similarly, the percentage rose within all Division I schools, from 4% to 13%. However, there was a decrease in reports of problem gambling in Division II and Division III athletic departments during the same period.
The survey also revealed that a quarter of Power Five schools were aware of student-athletes being harassed by individuals with gambling interests. This figure was 10% for Division I schools as a whole, with no reports from the lower two leagues. Concerns about sports wagering also increased, with 30% of Division I programs stating they were extremely or moderately concerned, compared to 20% in 2019. Additionally, only 11% claimed they were not concerned at all, compared to 6% in the previous year.
In order to protect the integrity of games, NCAA president Charlie Baker emphasized the need for assistance from regulators and sportsbooks in addressing student-athlete harassment and preserving the integrity of sports. The survey results will be used to develop tools and educate student-athletes about the risks and consequences of sports betting. The NCAA will work on initiatives based on staff survey data and previous surveys targeting college-age respondents.
The survey also examined how schools are educating student-athletes about sports wagering. It found that 85% of Division I schools discuss betting with student-athletes more than once a year, compared to 50% in Division II. Gambling-related education in Division I includes coverage of NCAA betting rules (97% of schools), inside information policies (89% of schools), and well-being matters related to gambling addiction (24% of schools). Only 13% of Division I teams utilize a sports wagering integrity service to monitor games, a figure that rises to 34% among Power Five schools.
The survey was completed by senior compliance administrators from over 500 member schools. The NCAA aims to gain insights on how to support schools in educating about sports wagering and plans to roll out e-learning and other educational resources later this year, based on the survey’s findings.
