NCAA Moves Forward with Proposal to Allow Athletes to Bet on Pro Sports

^{College athletes, place your bets on the pros! The NCAA is finally easing restrictions on betting on professional sports to focus more on the regulation of betting on college sports instead. (Photo: Jonathan Weiss / Alamy)}

The NCAA Division I Administrative Committee adopted a proposal that would allow student-athletes and team staff to bet on professional sports, a move that would dramatically change the enforcement strategy on gambling in college sports.

The proposal, which was adopted on Wednesday, will need to be considered by both Division II and Division III officials at their own meetings later this month.

Officials Believe Targeted Approach Will Yield Better Results 

If all three divisions of NCAA athletics approve the proposal, it will go into effect on Nov. 1. Currently, student-athletes and staff are not permitted to wager on any professional or collegiate sport that is sponsored by the NCAA, even at regulated sportsbooks in the United States. The college prohibition will remain in place, but officials say that they have had difficulty enforcing rules on professional sports betting. The rule change will allow officials to focus on more relevant enforcement action against betting that could impact the integrity of college athletics.

“Abstinence-only approaches to social challenges for college-aged individuals are often not as successful as approaches that focus on education about risks and open dialogue,” Dr. Deena Casiero, the NCAA’s chief medical officer, said in a statement. “The NCAA will continue to collaborate with schools to help them provide student-athletes with meaningful education and other resources for student-athletes who choose to participate in betting on professional sports.”

According to officials, an approach that focuses on prohibited college sports betting could make it easier for individuals to come forward about serious issues, without risk of retribution for their own less problematic betting. 

“The Administrative Committee was clear in its discussion today that it remains concerned about the risks associated with all forms of sports gambling but ultimately voted to reduce restrictions on student-athletes in this area to better align with their campus peers,” Illinois Athletics Director Josh Whitman, who also chairs the Division I Administrative Committee, said in a statement. “This change allows the NCAA, the conferences, and the member schools to focus on protecting the integrity of college games while, at the same time, encouraging healthy habits for student-athletes who choose to engage in betting activities on professional sports.”

Athletes Face Sanctions for College Sports Betting

The move has been under consideration for several months and comes after the NCAA has taken several actions against student-athletes who were wagering on their own sports and competitions.

In September, the NCAA banned three former Fresno State Bulldogs men’s basketball players after finding that they were involved in a scheme to purposely underperform in order to hit Under bets on proposition bets. Mykell Robinson, Steven Vasquez, and Jalen Weaver were all handed lifetime bans for their involvement.

Earlier in 2025, the University of Notre Dame suspended the entirety of its men’s swimming team after it found that the athletes were effectively running their own sportsbook to bet on their own swimming performances during races.

Those incidents, along with fears of more to come, have led regulators across the country to look deeper into at what is offered on collegiate sports. In many states, prop bets on college athletics have been banned already, with some states considering the removal of proposition betting entirely.