NCAA: 175 Sports Betting Violations Since 2018, 17 Active Probes

The NCAA has found 175 infractions of its sports-betting policy since 2018 with 17 active investigations at the moment, according to the Associated Press. 

NCAA President Charlie Baker included the numbers in a letter sent this week in response to a query from Rep. Dina Titus, a Democrat from Nevada whose district includes the Strip in Las Vegas.

Details of any active probes were not included in the correspondence.

The NCAA told the AP in an email that less than 0.25% of its approximately 13,000 sporting events "are flagged for suspicious betting patterns, and a much smaller percentage have specific, actionable information.”

The letter notes that athletes, coaches and administrators committed violations ranging from $5 wagers to “providing inside information” and that the active investigations have a similar span in severity.

The NCAA is emphasizing educating athletic departments about the risks involved and Baker said the safety and mental health of the organization's more than 500,000 student-athletes were paramount.

“I appreciate Congress’ increased attention to the topic of sports betting,” Baker wrote. “I agree with you that in addition to the opportunities it creates, sports betting brings risk that could undermine the integrity of competition."

We do know that there were investigations into multiple sports programs at both Iowa University and Iowa State.  Little information is known as to the status of these probes at this time.

- Gilbert Horowitz, Gambling911.com