SEC commissioner Greg Sankey releases statement on multiple states' decisions to halt bets on Alabama baseball

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has released a statement after multiple states opted to halt bets on Alabama baseball. Ohio was the first to do so, and New Jersey followed suit Wednesday.

The situation got started during the Crimson Tide’s game against LSU on Friday. The Ohio Casino Control Commission reported “suspicious wagering activity” at the BetMGM sportsbook in at Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati that day as the two teams were facing off, as ESPN first reported. LSU — an approximately -245 favorite, according to ESPN — led 8-1 in the game before eventually winning 8-6.

The university and the NCAA are working to gather information about the incident, and Sankey said the SEC is also watching closely. In addition, he pointed out the impact sports gambling can have on the sports world as a whole.

“We are aware of reports related to the suspension of wagering on Alabama baseball games,” Sankey said. “We will continue to monitor available information and any regulatory activity.

“As many states have acted to legalize sports gambling, we are reminded of the threats gambling may pose to competitive integrity. Together with our member universities, we will continue to emphasize the importance of regulating, overseeing, and providing education related to sports gambling activity.”

In light of the situation, OCCC director Matthew T. Schuler issued the following emergency order, shared with On3’s Andy Wittry.

“The Ohio Casino Control Commission has received reports from one of its certified independent integrity monitors regarding wagers made on University of Alabama Baseball,” Schuler said. “In response to these reports, I am issuing an emergency order to licensees under Ohio Adm. Code 3775-11-01(E)(2), prohibiting the acceptance of any wagers on University of Alabama Baseball effective immediately. Any wagers placed on an incomplete sporting event that has had wagering suspended through the issuance of an emergency order must be voided in accordance with Chapter 3775-11-01(F).”

Alabama Athletics, NCAA respond to states’ decisions to pull Crimson Tide baseball bets

Alabama Athletics provided a statement to On3’s Andy Wittry Tuesday night, saying “Alabama Athletics became aware of this situation Monday evening and is actively seeking information about the report.” That came after the NCAA offered a similar response, saying it’s attempting to gather “additional information” on the matter.

“The NCAA takes sports wagering very seriously and is committed to the protection of student-athlete well-being and the integrity of competition,” the statement read, according to AL.com. “We are aware of this issue and actively gathering additional information.”

Since Alabama was playing LSU, Louisiana also received an alert about suspicious activity, according to NOLA.com. Chairman Ronnie Johns said since bets were placed in Cincinnati, they raised some red flags.

“There were a couple of bets made in Cincinnati, Ohio,” Johns said. “One was on a parlay which involved the LSU-Alabama game, and then there was another straight-up (money line) bet, I was told it was a large bet that involved LSU-Alabama.”

Johns confirmed the bets were on the Tigers to win. That’s why he doesn’t think the suspicious activity came from the LSU side.

“That in itself indicates that there’s definitely no suspicious activity on the part of LSU,” Johns said. “You don’t typically suspect the team that was picked to win the game. The problem would have been whether someone on the Alabama side was suspicious of activity.”