The NCAA recently enacted a significant rule change that bans student-athletes from betting on professional sports, marking a major step in its ongoing effort to protect competitive integrity. Before this ban, the NCAA actually adopted a rule last month that allowed student-athletes to bet on professional sports, but that rule was rescinded on Friday, according to a post by the NCAA’s PR X account.
The change eventually got delayed until Nov. 22, allowing for schools to vote on whether the gambling should or should not be allowed.
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What Does Rescinded Rule Change Mean for CFB?
This rescinded rule change, which bans student-athletes and anyone involved in an intercollegiate athletic staff from betting on professional sports, means that the integrity of college football remains intact for now, and there should be no doubts about these student-athletes getting insider information from those who came before them.
This is a big current issue in many professional sports, including the NBA and MLB.
Here was the messaging the NCAA used:
“After a procedural 30-day period, two-thirds of Division I member schools have voted to rescind a previously approved rule change that would have allowed student-athletes and athletics department staff members to legally participate in sports betting on professional sports only.”
GettyLEXINGTON, KENTUCKY – MARCH 22: A detailed view of the NCAA logo on the shirt of an official in the game between the UCLA Bruins and the Tennessee Volunteers in the second round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Rupp Arena on March 22, 2025 in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
With sports gambling becoming more accessible nationwide for so many users, the NCAA is aiming to reduce potential conflicts of interest and prevent situations that could jeopardize fair play. This new policy sends a clear message: participation in collegiate athletics comes with heightened responsibility.
The original change from the NCAA wasn’t an attempt to encourage betting, but more so a chance to acknowledge that it exists and is prevalent in college sports.
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SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey May Have Had a Hand in the Rule Change
SEC commissioner Greg Sankey recently sent a message to NCAA president Charlie Baker, asking for a reversal of the rule:
“The integrity of competition is directly threatened when anyone with insider access becomes involved in gambling,” Sankey wrote, according to Seth Emerson of The Athletic. “Even when the wagers are placed on professional sports, the simple act of participating in gambling normalizes behavior, blurs boundaries and erodes judgment.”
With college football becoming so commercialized, big players in the sport like Greg Sankey want to ensure that their product remains wholesome and not infiltrated with gambling like some other sports organizations.
With the Friday announcement, any sport that the NCAA hosts a championship is prohibited from gambling on any professional sport or any sport within its organization.
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