Greg Sankey discusses complex issues surrounding sports gambling, college athletics

Sports betting has quickly become a serious concern for the NCAA. During last week’s SEC Spring Meetings, conference commissioner Greg Sankey discussed the issue in detail.

“It’s an even more sophisticated conversation than it was before. We’ve had discussions about data management issues, learning about the legality, learning about the providers, learning about the management,” Sankey said. “Our instruction is to continue seeking that information to determine whether there is an appropriate relationship.”

A growing threat

The concern toward sports wagering has heightened this year after the NCAA has been littered with gambling-related issues. Last month, Alabama baseball fired head coach Brad Bohannon for providing information to an Indiana man, who made bets at the Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.

Bohannon’s case is one of many scandals. On May 8, The University of Iowa announced that 26 athletes across five sports are under investigation for gambling on sports in violation of NCAA rules. Sankey knows the SEC must hurry to discover a cure to the gambling virus.

“We don’t have a choice but to pay a high level of attention,” Sankey said. “As information becomes more and more in demand because of the inccreases in sports gambling, we’re going to have to think about a sophisticated response to managing our information.”

Greg Sankey’s solutions

Information is the key word. An early hint at an injury or shadowy text about a secret suspension can be the difference in thousands of dollars. Nobody should be surprised when Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel admitted gambling was the hottest topic during the SEC Spring Meetings.

“Gambling was one of the ones that probably had as much dialogue and probably as many questions from the coaches to the people that were presenting into the conference,” Josh Heupel said. “On things that we can do to protect our players, protect our program.”

With gambling available at the touch of a button, protection isn’t easy. However, Sankey is ensuring the conference takes steps in the right direction. One of those steps was the decision to partner with U.S. Integrity, a company that focuses on protecting sports betting integrity.

While Sankey believes the partnership will help prevent the issue, he knows the problem is far from solved.

“The fact that you have a reliable, respected business entity that provides that kind of monitoring service, that is one of the solutions,” Sankey said. “We’re watching a change and we’re going to have to adapt to that change.”