Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons
On Oct. 8, the NCAA Administrative Committee approved a motion to allow student-athletes and school athletics department staff members to bet on professional sports that went into effect on Nov. 1 for Division I and will become effective Nov. 21 for DII and DIII. The NCAA made this move in an attempt to counter athletes illegally betting and aid in education of how to safely bet. Here are some of our Hillsdale Chargers’ thoughts:
Ross Kuhn | Senior, Track and Field
“I am very happy that the NCAA passed this legislation. Since the NCAA intends to implement strict restrictions, overall, I see no problem with it and actually believe that athletes will be more likely to adhere to these restrictions than to the prior ones, where athletes were able to bet only on non-NCAA affiliated sports like UFC. I am excited to personally be partaking in professional sports-betting come Nov. 21.”
Josie Teslaa | Senior, Volleyball
I honestly do not have an opinion on the new sports betting rules. It does not affect me in any way, and I do not see it being a major deal. I would not have even known about the rule change if I were not informed by other people.
Connor McCormick | Senior, Track and Field
“The rules around sports betting are inconsistent. NCAA student-athletes are now allowed to bet on professional sports. With the new addition of NIL to college, some DI “student”-athletes are being paid tens of millions of dollars to play college football. There is no difference between this and a professional athlete. We should be allowed to bet on all professional sports or none.”
Josh Lemanski | Senior, Football
“I’m not too worried about sports gambling getting legalized because I don’t think it’s going to affect me too much, as I’m probably going to avoid it. However, I do think the DI players are at a huge advantage as they tend to be closer with the guys in the pros, meaning they could get tips or inside advice on who to bet on or bet against.”
CJ Yarian | Junior, Men’s Basketball
“I have a very neutral perspective on NCAA student-athletes being allowed to bet on professional sports. Many people like the thrill of being able to have something at stake in games to make them more enjoyable. But I also think that certain people could get into serious financial problems and develop gambling addictions. It’s an issue that could arise from this and is something for institutions and agents to keep in mind.”
Chloe Pierce | Junior, Volleyball
“I do not have much of an opinion about the NCAA changing the rules on sports betting. At the DII level, I feel like it really isn’t all that common, so I feel as though it won’t significantly affect the athletes at Hillsdale. It will be interesting to see how it plays out at the DI level though.”
