AP: NCAA letter describes 17 active investigations into sports betting

NCAA President Charlie Baker wrote a letter to U.S. Rep. Dina Titus (D-N.V.) stating the NCAA has 17 active investigations related to sports betting, according to the Associated Press, which obtained a copy of the letter Wednesday.

Baker’s letter said the NCAA has found 175 violations of its sports betting policy since 2018. According to the AP, Baker said the violations included a variety of infractions from administrators, coaches and athletes placing wagers of $5 to “providing inside information.”

The AP reported the letter doesn’t include the names of any member schools or athletes.

Titus represents Nevada’s 1st District, which is in southern Nevada, including downtown Las Vegas. She reportedly wrote letters to the NCAA and some professional sports leagues regarding sports betting.

“I appreciate NCAA President Charlie Baker’s response to my letter regarding betting policies for college sports,” Titus tweeted Wednesday. “This kind of transparency is crucial for the integrity of the game and success of legal sports betting.”

In a follow-up tweet, Titus wrote, “Now that we have answers from the NCAA, I need to hear from professional sports leagues about their efforts to protect players and the public from illegal activities.”

The AP reported, “less than 0.25% of its [the NCAA’s] approximately 13,000 sporting events ‘are flagged for suspicious betting patterns, and a much smaller percentage have specific, actionable information.'”

In the spring, Alabama fired baseball coach Brad Bohannon after monitoring agencies detected suspicious betting activity on an Alabama-LSU game inside the BetMGM Sportsbook at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati. Shortly thereafter, Iowa and Iowa State announced that a combined 41 athletes are alleged to have been involved in potential sports betting violations.

NCAA changes punishments for sports betting violations

In late June, the NCAA announced a new penalty structure for sports betting-related violations.

The penalty structure applies to “all wagering-related violations reported on or after May 2,” which is coincidentally when Iowa said it was notified of “potential criminal conduct related to sports wagering.”

Athletes who engage in sports betting activities to influence the outcome of their own competition or knowingly provide information to individuals involved in sports betting will face a permanent ban on collegiate eligibility, according to the new penalty structure. The punishment applies to athletes who gamble on their own competitions or on other athletic programs at their school.

If athletes are found to have wagered on competition in their sport but at another school, they will receive education on sports wagering rules and prevention, as well as receive consideration for a half-season suspension.

If an athlete’s wagers exceed $800 in total, he or she will be suspended for 30% of a season, plus sports wagering education, but the athlete could also face a permanent ban. Cumulative wagers between $501 and $800 will lead to a suspension equivalent to 20% of a season. Total wagers between $201 and $500 will lead to a suspension equivalent to 10% of a season.

If an athlete is found to have wagered $200 or less in total, then the athlete’s punishment will only include education on sports wagering rules and prevention, which is part of every tier of the penalty structure.

“I appreciate Congress’ increased attention to the topic of sports betting,” Baker wrote to Titus, according to the AP. “I agree with you that in addition to the opportunities it creates, sports betting brings risk that could undermine the integrity of competition.”