The NCAA recently released the findings of a survey conducted among campus compliance directors regarding sports wagering issues. The survey revealed that 27% of autonomy schools had experienced a sports wagering problem among their athletes or staff within the past year, a significant increase from a previous survey in 2019. Additionally, a similar percentage of autonomy conference compliance administrators reported that athletes on their campuses had been harassed online or in person by individuals with a gambling interest in their games.
NCAA President Charlie Baker commissioned the survey to gain insights into how campus administrators perceive sports wagering trends and what measures are being taken to provide sports wagering education to athletes, coaches, and others affiliated with athletics at their schools. Baker emphasized the importance of protecting student-athletes and the integrity of the games amidst the prevalence of harassment and billion-dollar ad campaigns targeting young people.
The survey gathered responses from senior compliance administrators from Division I, II, and III member schools. Over 500 administrators completed the survey, which was conducted in late July and early August. The data collected will assist the NCAA in developing educational resources related to sports wagering and supporting schools in educating their student-athletes and staff.
The survey revealed that over 95% of Division I schools and a majority of Division II and III schools provide some form of sports wagering education. The focus of these educational programs primarily includes NCAA bylaws, sports wagering terminology, state/national laws, and rules regarding inside information. However, more schools are now addressing well-being issues, such as gambling addiction, compared to the previous survey conducted in 2019.
The feedback from compliance administrators regarding the NCAA’s collaboration with EPIC Risk Management was overwhelmingly positive. The NCAA has been working with EPIC to develop a comprehensive sports wagering gambling harm prevention program, and over 20,000 student-athletes, coaches, and administrators have participated in in-person programming provided by the NCAA since 2022.
Compliance administrators across divisions expressed a desire for additional wagering resources from the NCAA, and the national office staff is currently developing educational modules that will be available this fall. Many schools are also utilizing integrity monitoring services, which notify them of suspicious betting activity that may indicate integrity concerns. Approximately one-third of autonomy schools directly engage with such service providers, while others gain access to this information through their conference office or the NCAA national office.