Former Hawkeye Ahron Ulis allegedly placed almost 2,000 sports wagers, including at least one on Iowa sporting event

IOWA CITY — Former University of Iowa basketball player Ahron Ulis faces a tampering with records charge amid the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation’s probe into sports gambling at Iowa and Iowa State.

Ulis, according to a criminal complaint filed by the Johnson County Attorney’s Office Tuesday, allegedly used his older brother’s information to disguise “approximately 1,850” sports wagers.

“Over 740” of the 1,850 bets were placed before Ulis turned 21, the legal betting age in Iowa, according to the court document. The alleged wagers totaled “over $34,800.”

The complaint alleges at least one wager was on an Iowa sporting event, and “over 430” were on NCAA-sanctioned football and basketball games.

An athlete who bets on their own school “will potentially face permanent loss of collegiate eligibility in all sports,” according to updated NCAA guidelines on reinstatement of sports wagering violations.

Had an athlete placed bets on NCAA-sanctioned sports, but not their own school’s teams, the guidelines state an athlete would lose half a season of eligibility.

Ulis transferred to Big Ten Conference foe Nebraska earlier this year. He started in 27 of Iowa’s 33 games in 2022-23 and averaged 6.1 points per game in 22.6 minutes.

Nebraska head men’s basketball coach Fred Hoiberg told reporters Wednesday he learned of Ulis’ eligibility problem in May after Ulis had already signed with the Huskers.

“We were not aware of this issue at the time we were recruiting him in the transfer portal this spring,” Hoiberg said.

Hoiberg also had “no knowledge” of the possible legal charges until Wednesday, and he continues to have “no idea when this will all be resolved.”

The complaint says the wagers in question were “routinely and consistently” placed from Ulis’ phone at locations that included “his university residence and areas of the university not routinely open to the public.”

Ulis is one of three current or former Iowa athletes to face charges so far for tampering with records — an aggravated misdemeanor in the state of Iowa. Former Iowa baseball player Gehrig Christensen and current Iowa football player Aaron Blom face similar charges.

Three current Iowa State athletes and one former Iowa State also face tampering with records charges as a result of the Iowa DCI’s sports gambling investigation.

The Iowa Department of Public Safety, which oversees the Iowa DCI, said in a statement Wednesday that the probe “is ongoing and may result in the filing of additional charges.”

“No further information can be released at this time,” the DPI said in the statement.

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