NCAA forms team of experts to study possible effects of sports gambling

The NCAA is remaining firm in its opposition to legalized sports gambling, even after the United States Supreme Court struck down the federal ban on state-sponsored sports betting in May.

Though while it is opposed to the practice, it knows it will not be able to avoid it.

The NCAA announced on Thursday that a team of experts has started to examine what effect, if any, legalized sports gambling will have on collegiate athletics, including officiating, NCAA rules, federal and state laws and the use of integrity services.

“While we certainly respect the Supreme Court’s decision, our position on sports wagering remains,” Donald Remy, the NCAA’s chief legal officer, told the Associated Press. “With this new landscape, we must evolve and expand our long-standing efforts to protect both the integrity of competitions and the well-being of student-athletes.”

Delaware and New Jersey already have sports books up and running since the Supreme Court’s decision, and Mississippi and West Virginia expect to have them up and running by football season, according to ESPN.

Marshall and West Virginia are among the first schools who want to receive a percentage of the amount wagered on college sports in their state. According to an ESPN report, school officials met with the state lottery, the governor’s office, the American Gaming Association, Major League Baseball and the NBA, and left that meeting with the hope of receiving a 25 percent fee on the amount wagered on all college sports in West Virginia.

Connecticut, Missouri and Rutgers have also held similar meetings, according to the report.

“The fee would help us with additional resources for us to do what we need to do to deal with this whole process,” Marshall athletic director Mike Hamrick told ESPN.

While the NCAA — among other leagues — has already called for federal regulation on sports betting, it hopes that its group of experts’ findings can help it move forward in the right direction.

“Legalized sports gambling across the country is rather new, but the NCAA and its members have committed significant resources over the years to policy, research and education around sports wagering,” Joni Comstock, the NCAA’s senior vice president of championships and alliances, told the Associated Press. “With student-athlete well-being as the centerpiece, we will continue to build upon these efforts to assist members as they adapt to legalized sports wagering in their states and regions.”

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