NCAA reveals opposition to US sports betting expansion plans

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the US has said that 80% of its athletic directors are opposed to expanding legalised sports betting in the country.

The state of New Jersey is currently heading up an effort to overturn the federal 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA).

PASPA makes it unlawful for governmental entities to sponsor, operate, advertise, promote, licence or authorise betting, gambling or wagering schemes that are based on games played by amateur or professional athletes.

Nevada is the only state in which PASPA does not apply, but the situation may change should the US Supreme Court rule in favour of New Jersey later this year.

A number of professional sports leagues have thrown their backing behind the expansion plans, including the National Basketball Association.

However, Tom McMillen, head of Lead1, a group composed of athletic directors from NCAA Division I, told Legal Sports Report that the majority of members of the organisation would not favour expansion.

“We’ve surveyed them, and we found out that 80% of them were not in favour of it,” McMillen, a former professional basketball player, said.

“We just want to make sure our members are attuned to what’s going on, particularly at the state level.”

The NCAA is yet to officially declare its position on the matter, but McMillen did suggest that expansion could go ahead with a ban on wagering on college sports remaining in place.

“I think the NCAA’s position is basically that they’d like to be carved out, but they’re not going to be involved until there’s a determination at the court level, and then they’ll deal with it,” McMillen said.

“There’s a lot of concern because kids are vulnerable and don’t have a lot of resources, we’ve seen this before, I think that’s the core of the concern.

“There are costs, no question about that; what’s the cost to a university if you have a front-page point-shaving scandal?

“It’s a very significant cost to the university, and the brand and goodwill, and I think there is risk.

“How all those risks get managed could be the story of tomorrow.”

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