Chavdar Vasilev is a journalist covering the casino and sports betting market sectors for CasinoBeats. He joined CasinoBeats in May 2025 and reports on industry-shaping stories across the US and beyond, including legislative debates, market...
Read Full BioThe NCAA has officially approved its long-debated rule allowing student-athletes and athletics department staff to wager on professional sports, effective on November 1, 2025.
The Division III Management Council gave the final sign-off this week, following earlier endorsements from Divisions I and II. The amendment represents one of the most significant shifts in NCAA gambling policy since the Supreme Court struck down the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in 2018.
‘Education and Harm Reduction’
The Division III Management Council said that it is not endorsing sports betting. Council chair Jason Verdugo said the reform emphasizes guidance over permission: “Our focus remains on education and harm reduction. We want to make sure student-athletes understand the boundaries of permissible behavior and the risks that gambling can pose to their well-being and the integrity of college sports.”
The NCAA emphasized that betting on college sports remains prohibited. Also, it continues to prohibit student-athletes from sharing insider information or associating with gambling entities connected to college competition. NCAA championships will continue to exclude sports-betting advertising and sponsorships.
Previously, Division I Administrative Committee chair Josh Whitman said the move aims to modernize rules without compromising integrity: “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.”
What Changes on November 1
- Permitted: Student-athletes and athletics staff may place bets on professional sports through legal, regulated operators.
- Prohibited: Betting on college sports or sharing non-public information remains a major violation.
- Unchanged: NCAA championships and events will continue to ban sports-betting sponsorships or ads.
- Focus: Education programs through the NCAA Sport Science Institute will stress risk awareness and responsible gambling habits.
From Total Ban to Targeted Allowance
Initial discussions about loosening the NCAA’s wagering restrictions began earlier this year within the Division I Council Coordination Committee and the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports.
Those groups argued that the rules needed to reflect the changing landscape of legal sports betting while strengthening education on gambling-related harm.
Division I approved the measures at the beginning of the month, while Division II did so earlier this week. Division III’s vote now finalizes the change, as approval is needed from all three.
Mounting Pressure from Scandals and Integrity Risks
The reform comes as the NCAA has intensified enforcement actions against betting violations. In September, the association announced it was pursuing penalties against 13 college basketball players from six schools for unspecified breaches of sports betting rules and permanently banned three others for placing prop bets on their own teams.
That same month, officials said they were “deeply concerned” by the emergence of college-football prediction markets, warning the platforms could create “new vectors for insider misuse.” More recently, federal prosecutors unsealed indictments against a gambling syndicate accused of targeting NCAA basketball games last season.
These incidents illustrate the risks that continue to surround collegiate competitions even as legal sports betting expands nationwide.
Cultural Turning Point for College Athletics
The NCAA’s rule change reflects the association’s gradual adaptation to sports betting. Notably, more and more young adults increasingly view betting as mainstream entertainment.
With the move, the NCAA is acknowledging that student-athletes live in a legal landscape of sports betting. Still, it emphasizes that the integrity of college competitions must remain non-negotiable—an attempt to balance modernization with protection.
