July 10, 2023
We’ve heard that more money brings more problems. Well, current sports betting issues with the National Football League might have us thinking some similar thoughts. It seems that more access to gambling is resulting in more gambling related issues… and those issues are not just confined to the NFL.
First, four more NFL players have been disciplined for their personal sports betting issues. Three of those players are from the Indianapolis Colts and have received suspensions for the entire 2023 season for allegedly betting on NFL games last year. The fourth player is from the Tennessee Titans, and is accused of betting on other sporting events (not NFL games) while at the club’s facilities. That is also a rule violation, and the player received a 6-month suspension.
The NFL stated that all of these players will have the chance to apply for reinstatement to the League after the upcoming 2023 season. These suspensions represent the second time the League has penalized players for sports betting issues. In April, members of the Detroit Lions and the Washington Commanders also faced season-long and six-game suspensions respectively due to alleged gambling activities related to NFL games.
The NFL stated that their gambling policy “… prohibits anyone in the NFL (not just players) from engaging in any form of gambling in any club or league facility or venue, including the practice facility.” Of course, professional football is not the only business concerned with gambling related issues. Perhaps even more concerning are the collegiate games which could be impacted by things such as this.
Now, in light of these sports betting issues with the NFL, and following controversies at some colleges across America, the National Collegiate Athletic Association has rolled out some updates to their penalties for any betting violations. Their new guidelines adopt a more lenient approach compared to the previous rules, which were established prior to the widespread use of mobile betting platforms.
A violation of those rules usually resulted in players losing an entire season of their collegiate eligibility. However, recognizing the evolving landscape of sports wagering and its easy accessibility throughout the nation, the NCAA has implemented these revised guidelines to modernize the penalty system for such sports betting issues. While a violation can still result in a permanent loss of collegiate eligibility in all sports, most of the other rules have been toned down a bit.
Some of those additional revisions include a half season suspension, required educational sessions about the NCAA’s rules on gambling, and the penalties for gambling violations on professional sporting events will now depend on the size of the actual wager. These rules will also differentiate between student-athletes who bet on their own games or the games of another sports at their college. A spokesperson for the NCAA said “These new guidelines modernize penalties for college athletes at a time when sports wagering has been legalized in dozens of states and is easily accessible nationwide with online betting platforms.”
