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The NCAA voted to allow student-athletes to wager on professional sports starting Nov. 1, one month before Missouri launches legal sports betting in the state.
However, the NCAA has since pushed back the effective date to Nov. 22, according to an announcement on X. There’s now a chance the vote could be rescinded altogether.
Walking Back a New Rule?
The NCAA did not provide a reason for the delay but issued the following statement on X:
“The DI Board voted to delay the effective date of the sports betting legislative change to Nov. 22, which is one day after the close of a membership rescission period.
DI rules afford 30 days for each DI school to vote to rescind a proposal if it is adopted by less than a 75% majority by the Division I Cabinet.”
Missouri student-athletes wouldn’t have been eligible to start wagering on professional sports on Nov. 1 anyway. But when the state’s sports betting market launches on Dec. 1, it would have been fair game for them to participate – if the rule had taken effect.
Momentum builds against the policy
Momentum appears to be growing to stop the rule from taking effect entirely.
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey wrote a letter to the NCAA opposing the policy, which was obtained by ESPN.
“On behalf of our universities, I write to urge action by the NCAA Division I Board of Directors to rescind this change and reaffirm the Association’s commitment to maintaining strong national standards that keep collegiate participants separated from sports wagering activity at every level.
If there are legal or practical concerns about the prior policy, those should be addressed through careful refinement – not through wholesale removal of the guardrails that have long supported the integrity of games and the well-being of those who participate.”
The NCAA now has roughly three weeks to decide whether to move forward with or rescind the change. It’s a decision that could reshape the landscape for student-athletes and athletic programs nationwide, including those in Missouri.
