SEC Commissioner Asks NCAA to Reconsider Gambling Change

The most powerful conference in the NCAA is taking issue with the league’s new gambling rules.

South Eastern Conference (SEC) commissioner Greg Sankey requested that the NCAA delay a recent rule change allowing players and staff to bet on pro sports. The change was supposed to go into effect on November 1, but the NCAA Division I Board of Directors voted to delay it until November 22. 

The delay will give conferences and schools a chance to register their complaints with the league before the 30-day window to reverse the change closes. 

Sankey did not hide his opposition to the NCAA’s decision to update its gambling rules, claiming many other university officials stand with him. 

“The integrity of competition is directly threatened when anyone with insider access becomes involved in gambling,” Sankey wrote. “The NCAA’s policy has long stood as an expression of our collective integrity, and its removal sends the wrong signal at a time when the gambling industry is expanding its reach and influence,” Sankey’s letter to the NCAA read.

The letter from the SEC commissioner echoes public concerns, most of whom were stunned by the NCAA’s proposal to allow pro sports betting. 

Rule Change Comes at a Bad Time

While the NCAA’s reasons for updating its gambling policy were well-intentioned, the timing could not have been worse. Soon after the final vote approved the proposed change, the FBI made a series of arrests connected to an NBA betting scandal. It was the most complex and extensive scandal uncovered to date, grabbing the attention of Congress. 

The scandal highlights two massive issues that the NCAA doesn’t have a plan to avoid. 

The first is how college athletes will be able to resist the amount of money being spent. Those involved in the current FBI bust made significant money by giving significant but straightforward tips. That kind of money can be hard for athletes and coaches to ignore, especially for such a simple and quick act.

The second issue is the expected spike in problem gambling. One of the beneficial side effects of the NCAA’s ban was that it protected college athletes from the dangers of problem gambling. With that now removed, they could be running the lives of many athletes who will develop gambling addictions while still in school.