David Purdum, ESPN
While some universities look into possible revenue from legalized sports betting, the NCAA says it remains opposed to that and is focused on protecting student-athletes and the integrity of the games through education and consistent national guidelines.
The NCAA announced Thursday that an internal team of experts has started examining the long-term effect legalized sports betting could have on college sports, including officiating, rules and the use of integrity services.
In May, the United States Supreme Court struck down the federal ban on state-sponsored sports betting, opening a path for states to begin licensing bookmakers. Delaware and New Jersey have begun offering Las Vegas-style sports betting, and Mississippi and West Virginia expect to be up and running by football season.
“While we certainly respect the Supreme Court’s decision, our position on sports wagering remains,” NCAA chief legal officer Donald Remy said in a release. “With this new landscape, we must evolve and expand our long-standing efforts to protect both the integrity of competitions and the well-being of student-athletes.”
While the NCAA studies the issue, Marshall and West Virginia are among the Division I universities interested in receiving a percentage of the amount wagered on college sports. Officials from each university participated in meetings this spring with representatives from the state lottery, governor’s office, the American Gaming Association and Major League Baseball and the NBA and came away with hopes of receiving a 0.25 percent fee based on the amount wagered on college sports in West Virginia.
“The fee would help us with additional resources for us to do what we need to do to deal with this whole process,” Marshall athletic director Mike Hamrick told ESPN on Wednesday. Hamrick was formerly athletic director at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.
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