NCAA allows athletes to bet on pro sports

College athletes at all levels will be allowed to bet on professional sports after NCAA approval on Wednesday.

Athletes will be allowed to bet only on professional leagues, officials said, as a ban on college sports wagers remains in place.

The NCAA’s Division II Management Council said its approval was “not an endorsement of sports betting, particularly for student-athletes.”

Roberta Page, the council’s chair, said the decision to allow all college athletes to bet on professional sports “recognizes the realities of today’s sports environment.”

The NCAA’s Division III Cabinet voted in favor of the measure earlier this week after the Division I Cabinet made the same move earlier this month. 

Commercial sports betting revenue in 2025 through August stands at $10 billion, according to the American Gaming Association. 

The total is 18.9 percent higher than the same period last year.

Last month, the NCAA accused three college basketball players of betting on their own games at Fresno State and San Jose State and banned them.

The NCAA’s pro sports betting approval on Wednesday came one day before Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and Portland Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups were arrested in connection with a federal sports betting and poker rigging investigation.