NCAA Eyes Lifting Pro Sports Betting Ban for Athletes by June 2025
The NCAA is poised to lift its ban on professional sports betting for athletes, coaches, and staff by June 2025, while keeping college sports wagering off-limits.
A Big Shift in NCAA Policy
The NCAA is gearing up for a major policy overhaul, considering lifting its long-standing ban on betting on professional sports like the NFL, NBA, and MLB for athletes, coaches, and staff.
Current rules bar those involved in college athletics from wagering on pro sports mirrored at the college level due to integrity concerns.
The Division I Board of Directors voted 21-1 on April 21, 2025, to support the move, passing it to the Division I Council for review, with a decision possible by June, per Sports Illustrated. Division III’s Management Council also backs the idea.
Why Now? Legalization and Enforcement Woes
The push stems from the widespread legalization of sports betting, now legal in nearly 80% of U.S. states, per consultant Matt Banker. “The world of sports wagering looks far different in 2025,” Banker said, calling it a “cultural and philosophical recalibration.”
Enforcing the pro sports betting ban has become a resource drain, with NCAA and university staff bogged down by minor violations, often carrying light penalties.
“It’s not the biggest threat to college athletics,” Banker noted, emphasizing that game-fixing and college game betting pose greater risks.
Protecting Athletes, Refocusing Oversight
The NCAA aims to redirect its oversight to serious threats like point-shaving and prop bet manipulation, which spiked in 2024 with federal probes into college basketball.
A new Genius Sports partnership, announced in April 2025, supplies official NCAA data to sportsbooks, boosting integrity monitoring.
The NCAA is also pushing states to ban college athlete prop bets to curb harassment, with 10-15% of Division I athletes reporting bettor abuse.
The ban on college sports betting remains ironclad, ensuring no wagers on NCAA games.
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