With a couple of days to spare, the NCAA has met a deadline set by US Rep. Dina Titus (D – Nev.) to respond to her questions about what sports betting policies the body has in place.
NCAA President Charlie Baker’s letter to Titus was obtained by Associated Press on Wednesday. It detailed multiple measures his body is taking to ensure the integrity of its events, also asserting that the “safety and mental health of the organization’s more than 500,000 student-athletes were paramount.”
violations from $5 bets to “providing inside information.”
The most arresting detail of Baker’s letter is, however, the 175 violations and 17 active investigations linked to sports betting – that’s since the US Supreme Court overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) in 2018. Baker, who is the ex-Governor of Massachusetts, also confirmed that college athletes, coaches, and administrators had committed violations from $5 bets to “providing inside information.”
It’s NCAA policy not to publish the results of its investigations, so Baker’s letter doesn’t name any athletes or coaches. But betting scandals within US college sports are rampant at the moment. Just this week for instance, Sports Illustrated broke the news that the culprit behind the Alabama baseball scandal told BetMGM staff he had inside information.
Titus, whose jurisdiction includes the Las Vegas Strip, said that she appreciated Baker’s response and the NCAA’s transparency. The Congresswoman last month sent letters to the NCAA and the 13 US professional sports leagues demanding they share their sports betting policies. Titus said she is still waiting on the pro leagues to respond.