NCAA updates sports wagering penalties as Iowa, Iowa State investigations linger

IOWA CITY — As sports wagering investigations involving University of Iowa and Iowa State athletes continue, the NCAA updated its guidelines for enforcement of gambling-related violations.

The new rules, which were announced Wednesday afternoon, most notably give more leniency to athletes who bet on professional sports.

An athlete who bet $200 or less on the Super Bowl, for example, would only need to participate in “sports wagering rules and prevention education.”

Athletes who bet $201 or more on professional sports would face a partial loss of eligibility, ranging from 10 percent to 30 percent of a season. Bets that “greatly exceed” $800 could result in additional penalties.

However, NCAA athletes who placed bets either on their own games or games of other teams at their school “will potentially face permanent loss of collegiate eligibility in all sports,” according to the news release.

An athlete who bets on their sport — but the wager does not involve their school — could lose eligibility for 50 percent of a season along with needing to undergo the gambling prevention education.

The new rules are effective for “all wagering-related violations reported on or after May 2,” which is significant considering the timing of Iowa’s sports wagering investigations.

Iowa leadership was notified of the potential violations on May 2, and Iowa notified the NCAA on May 5.

The investigations involve 26 current athletes at Iowa from the football, men’s basketball, men’s wrestling, men’s track and field and baseball teams. The “approximately 15” Iowa State athletes are on the football, track and field and wrestling teams.

It’s unclear how much longer the investigations will take as football season looms fewer than 11 weeks away.

An Iowa Athletics spokesman declined to comment Wednesday on the status of the Hawkeyes’ sports wagering investigation. Iowa State spokesman Nick Joos said it is an “ongoing” process, so “it would be inappropriate to comment until it is complete.”

Alex Ricker-Gilbert, the chair of the NCAA’s Division I legislative committee, said in a news release the updated guidelines “modernize penalties for college athletes at a time when sports wagering has been legalized in dozens of states and is easily accessible nationwide with online betting platforms.”

“While sports wagering by college athletes is still a concern — particularly as we remain committed to preserving the integrity of competition in college sports — consideration of mitigating factors is appropriate as staff prescribe penalties for young people who have made mistakes in this space,” Ricker-Gilbert said in the release.

Comments: john.steppe@thegazette.com