By Alexandra Townsend

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has approved a rule allowing student-athletes and athletic staff to bet on professional sports, reversing its previous ban. The Division’s Administrative Committee approved the new rule on Oct. 8, and it will take effect on Nov. 22, after a 30-day delay to allow schools to rescind the change. 

The NCAA decided the previous rules no longer align with today’s attitudes or the reality of widespread legal sports gambling. The NCAA aims to foster a positive environment for student-athletes who choose to bet.

“Abstinence-only approaches to social challenges for college-aged individuals are not often successful as approaches that focus on education about risks and open dialogue,” Dr. Deena Casiero, the NCAA chief medical officer, said on Oct. 8.

With heavy marketing from platforms like FanDuel and DraftKings, the NCAA hopes to teach about the risks and encourage healthy habits to help students avoid harmful gambling problems. 

Some students have mixed reactions, with some expressing their concerns about gambling culture and its potential impact on the integrity of both college and professional sports. Others believe the new rule won’t pose a danger, arguing that college athletes wouldn’t want to jeopardize their careers, scholarships, or reputations over a bet. 

Elena Wearsch, a junior mechanical engineering major, isn’t worried about the integrity of the game if college athletes are allowed to bet on professional sports. 

“An athlete’s focus is on their game, not a bet,” Wearsch said. “If they get caught in college, their whole future is at risk, everything they have spent their life working towards would be ruined.”

Wearsch noted MLB’s system to protect integrity – citing Emmanuel Clase, a closer for the Cleveland Guardians, who was placed on paid leave by MLB in late July amid an active investigation into sports betting. 

“The rumors of him throwing bad pitches on purpose led him to be suspended by the MLB,” Wearsch said.  “I think systems like that are in place to protect the integrity of the game.”

Some students, like Noah Der Garabedian, a junior double major in computer science and finance, are concerned about prop betting on games involving former teammates. He argued that the lines between friendship and insider knowledge could blur, noting that personal relationships could give athletes an unfair advantage.

Der Garabedian’s main worry is about propositional betting. This is when a wager is placed on specific events and individual players’ actions during the game, rather than on the final score or outcome. 

Der Garabedian gave the example that the University of Maryland Men’s Basketball team shouldn’t be allowed to place prop bets on New Orleans Pelicans games, because their former teammate, Derik Queen, was drafted there. 

“If you have a personal relationship with a player, you shouldn’t be allowed to bet on their game,” he said. “And you definitely shouldn’t be allowed to prop bet on your former teammates, because you could unknowingly have insider information.”

While much of the discussion focuses on college athletes, the change also affects coaches and other department staff, who now face similar opportunities and risks related to sports betting. 

Ashley Burkett, a junior journalism major, works for the Maryland football team and says she and her colleagues don’t see the rule change as a big deal. 

Burkett isn’t worried about staff, the game, or its integrity because she said there is nothing student workers can do to change the outcome of college-level games. 

“The new rule allows betting on pro games, so we definitely wouldn’t have insider information on those games,” Burkett said. 

As the new rule is set to take effect, it reflects the growing marketing of sports betting. It presents new opportunities and potential risks for both athletes and staff.

Featured Image: Barry P. Gossett Basketball Performance Center on Sept. 19, 2025. Photo by Anika Stikeleather.