As Kentucky and other states legalize sports gambling, NCAA needs to revisit rules

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When Kentucky’s head coaches gathered for a meeting this month, athletic director Mitch Barnhart emphasized one message above the transfer portal, name, image and likeness, recruiting, new facilities or anything else that could be considered the most pressing issue of the day.

Gambling in college sports was back in the news.

As a growing number of states legalize sports betting — Kentucky’s law goes into effect June 28 — expect more headlines, especially if NCAA rules stay the same.

The current rules prohibit participants — players, athletic staff and coaches — from betting on any sport sponsored by the NCAA across high school, collegiate and professional levels. That includes sharing information like updating the injury status of a star player for sports wagering purposes.

Alabama baseball coach Brad Bohannon was fired earlier this month after being linked to suspicious wagering over the Crimson Tide’s game against LSU on April 28 at the Great American Ballpark sportsbook in Cincinnati. Ongoing investigations into a combined 41 athletes at Iowa and Iowa State and their gambling activities were also announced earlier this month.

Barnhart wants to make sure his coaches are talking about the NCAA rules enough to ensure they, and the athletes they coach, have understanding.

Mitch Barnhart met with Kentucky’s coaches earlier this month to discuss NCAA rules and gambling in college sports.

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But the NCAA needs to re-examine its rules on gambling. It’s no longer taboo, or particularly hard to do, especially on college campuses where 75% of students have bet on sports within the past year, according to the International Center for Responsible Gaming.

College football and college basketball should be the only sports that are off-limits because they have the biggest potential to be compromised. Pro sports…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/brown-kentucky-other-states-legalize-091023755.html?src=rss

Author : The Courier Journal

Publish date : 2023-05-29 09:10:23

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