The NCAA moved a step closer Wednesday to allowing athletes and athletic department staff members to bet on professional sports.The Division I Administrative Committee approved the change, which must still be approved by Division II and III for it to go into effect.If approved by all three divisions, it would go into effect Nov. 1.“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, athletics director at Illinois 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.”This doesn’t change the NCAA rule which forbids athletes from betting on college sports. The NCAA also prohibits sharing information about college competitions with bettors. The institution also doesn’t allow advertising and sponsorships of NCAA championships by betting sites.Despite the potential change, the committee emphasized that it doesn’t endorse betting on sports particularly for student-athletes.Popular Reads“Division I members are actively working to deregulate NCAA rules where possible, and the Division I Board of Directors remains focus …
