In a landmark move that could reshape the landscape of collegiate athletics, the NCAA Division I Administrative Committee voted on October 8, 2025, to approve a proposal that would allow college athletes and athletic department staff to legally wager on professional sports. This decision, which comes after years of mounting pressure and shifting legal realities across the United States, marks a significant departure from the NCAA’s long-standing policies on sports gambling.
But before college athletes rush to place their bets, there’s a catch: the new rule isn’t official just yet. The proposal must still clear two more hurdles—approval from the Division II and Division III committees, who are scheduled to vote on the matter at the end of October. Should both divisions give the green light, the change will go into effect as early as November 1, 2025.
Under the proposed policy, college athletes and athletic staff would remain strictly prohibited from betting on any NCAA-sponsored college sports or sharing inside information about college competitions. The ban on gambling on college sports isn’t going anywhere, and neither is the prohibition on advertising or sponsorships from gambling companies at NCAA Championship events, including the ever-popular March Madness tournaments. The focus, instead, is on professional sports—an area where, until now, athletes and staff were also barred from betting.
“The Administrative Committee was clear in its discussion today that it remains concerned about the risks associated with all forms of sports gambling, but ultimately voted to reduce restrictions on student-athletes in this area to better align with their campus peers,” said Josh Whitman, Illinois athletic director and chair of the committee. “This change allows the NCAA, the conferences and the member schools to focus on protecting the integrity of college games while, at the same time, encouraging healthy habits for student-athletes who choose to engage in betting activities on professional sports.”
The shift comes at a time when legalized sports betting has exploded across the country. Thirty-eight states, as well as Washington D.C. and Puerto Rico, now allow some form of legal sports wagering, with age restrictions varying from 18 to 21. The sheer scale and accessibility of legal betting have made the NCAA’s previous blanket ban increasingly difficult to enforce, especially as college athletes find themselves surrounded by peers who can legally place bets on pro games.
Support for the rule change is not limited to NCAA administrators. The Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) threw its weight behind the proposal, emphasizing the importance of education, transparency, and support over punishment. In a statement, the Division I SAAC executive team said, “The NCAA Division I SAAC supports the deregulation of the prohibition on sports wagering related to professional sports. We believe this change represents meaningful progress toward a culture that prioritizes education, transparency and support over punishment. By removing unnecessary barriers, we are hopeful that student-athletes and athletics administrators will feel empowered to come forward, seek help and engage in open dialogue without fear.”
Still, the NCAA’s leadership has been quick to stress that this move is not an endorsement of sports betting. Instead, officials frame the decision as a practical response to evolving social norms and legal frameworks. According to Tim Sands, president at Virginia Tech and chair of the Division I Board of Directors, “Division I members are actively working to deregulate NCAA rules where possible, and the Division I Board of Directors remains focused on preserving rules that directly speak to the fairness of college sports competition and the academic successes of college athletes. While NCAA members do not encourage student-athletes to engage in sports betting behaviors of any kind, the timing is right to modernize these rules by removing prohibitions against betting on professional sports and focusing on harm reduction strategies for behaviors that do not impact college sports directly.”
The NCAA’s chief medical officer, Dr. Deena Casiero, echoed the call for a harm reduction approach. “Abstinence-only approaches to social challenges for college-aged individuals are often not as successful as approaches that focus on education about risks and open dialogue,” Dr. Casiero explained. “The NCAA will continue to collaborate with schools to help them provide student-athletes with meaningful education and other resources for student-athletes who choose to participate in betting on professional sports. This harm reduction approach gives schools an opportunity to help student-athletes make educated decisions, prevent risky behavior and seek support without fear of impacting their eligibility.”
This emphasis on education and support is particularly timely, as the NCAA has faced a spike in betting-related violations among student-athletes in recent years. In September 2025, the NCAA announced the permanent suspension of three Division I basketball players who were found to have bet on their own games and manipulated their performances to influence outcomes. Just days later, the NCAA revealed ongoing investigations into 13 additional student-athletes from six different schools for suspected gambling violations, including programs at Temple and Arizona State.
Jon Duncan, NCAA vice president of enforcement, underscored the organization’s commitment to maintaining the integrity of college sports. “The enforcement staff continues to investigate and resolve cases involving sports betting quickly but thoroughly. Enforcement staff are investigating a significant number of cases that are specifically relevant to the NCAA’s mission of fair competition, and our focus will remain on those cases and those behaviors that impact the integrity of college sports most directly.”
The NCAA’s layered strategy for monitoring integrity includes partnerships with specialized companies to track betting activity across more than 22,000 college sports contests annually. The organization also continues to ban athletes, coaches, and staff from sharing inside information with bettors—a rule that remains strictly enforced even as the broader gambling policy evolves.
Outside the NCAA, the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) has voiced its support for the move toward modernization. “The National Council on Problem Gambling supports the NCAA’s effort to modernize its student-athlete sports betting policy to reduce stigma around seeking help for gambling problems. Strict prohibitions on legal activities often have the unintended consequence of driving gambling behavior underground and discouraging student-athletes from reaching out for help if they develop a gambling problem,” the NCPG said in a statement. “The revised policy creates opportunities for students to speak openly about their gambling behavior, enabling access to help when needed.”
While the change has been met with cautious optimism from many corners of the collegiate sports world, there are still concerns about the potential for increased exposure to problem gambling, online harassment, and threats to game integrity. The NCAA, for its part, has pledged to ramp up educational efforts, provide additional resources, and maintain strict oversight of college sports betting activity.
For now, all eyes turn to the Division II and III committees, whose votes will determine whether this new era of regulated betting for college athletes becomes reality. If approved, the rule will take effect November 1, 2025, ushering in a new chapter for college sports—one that reflects the rapidly changing world of legalized sports gambling, while striving to balance integrity, education, and athlete well-being.