NCAA Athletes, Staff Can Bet on Pro Sports Starting November 1

NCAA Athletes, Staff Can Bet on Pro Sports Starting November 1

It's official - NCAA student athletes and athletic department staff can bet on professional sports, starting in November. 

The change had already been adopted by the NCAA Division I Administrative Committee on October 8 but needed approval from Divisions II and III.

On Wednesday, the Division II and Division III Management Councils announced that they voted to approve the change. 

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The change in the policy is for professional sports and not on college sports, which remains prohibited by the NCAA.

According to the NCAA, in its announcement, the Division II Management Council "emphasized in approving the rule change that the action is not an endorsement of sports betting, particularly for student-athletes."

The NCAA continued:

It further emphasized the importance of schools using harm reduction strategies and resources provided by the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports and the Sport Science Institute. The NCAA already engages in significant efforts to provide educational resources available to student-athletes about the impact of sports betting, which are detailed on its sports betting page.

"Our action reflects alignment across divisions while maintaining the principles that guide college sports," said Roberta Page, director of athletics at Slippery Rock and chair of the Division II Management Council. "This change recognizes the realities of today's sports environment without compromising our commitment to protecting the integrity of college competition or the well-being of student-athletes."