Latest NCAA betting trend confirms college students aren't as smart as they believe

USA Today

13-03-2025

Latest NCAA betting trend confirms college students aren't as smart as they believe
In some of the least surprising news you'll hear today, college students are doing things to make a little extra cash.
The unfortunate part about this particular tactic is it'll cost most of these students a lot more than any money they actually make -- if they aren't in the red altogether. That's because these are student-athletes, and they're gambling on themselves.
According to NCAA managing director of enforcement Mark Hicks, it's happening more frequently. 'I think we're starting to see that it's pretty commonplace for people to bet on themselves,' Hicks said Wednesday, via Covers, during a NEXT Summit New York panel.
This was predictable. Even in a world where the highest-profile athletes can earn money from their name, image and likeness, less-known athletes and athletes from smaller schools don't have those same opportunities. The spread of legalized sports betting and daily fantasy pick'em games gives them another avenue to make bank on their talents, and the temptation to throw a couple bucks on their own props is right there in the palm of their hands. As we've been hearing more and more in the news, some are taking the bait.
Whether it involves a gambling ring, like the one that reportedly placed bets on college basketball games involving New Orleans, Temple, North Carolina A&T, Eastern Michigan and Mississippi Valley State, according to ESPN's David Purdham, or it's people acting on their accord, student-athletes are deciding the risk of being caught is worth the potential reward.
What's interesting is how much more frequently they seem to be taking these risks alone. While it happens, they don't need to be influenced by anything or anyone else.
"I think what we're starting to see is it doesn't have to be that way,' Hicks said. 'These young people are pretty savvy, you know, 'I can bet on my own prop bet.''
That savvy is apparently leading some to daily fantasy sports (DFS), which can be legal in places betting is not, like California, and can also have different regulations. That last fact didn't stop two basketball players at Fresno State from an investigation for using DFS to bet on themselves, as ESPN reported in February. Additionally, Texas self-reported five violations, including two by football players, of people playing DFS on the popular site PrizePicks, the Austin American-Statesman reported Thursday.
This helps to explain why the NCAA has been so adamant in getting a national ban on player props. It's not simply to protect athletes from angry bettors. It's also to protect athletes from themselves.
Regardless, it must be said, whether it's DFS or traditional sports betting, a gamble is a gamble, and more athletes will likely be caught than those who walk away with large sums of money. They aren't simply risking a few bucks, they're also risking a permanent loss of NCAA eligibility. It almost certainly isn't worth it, but this won't be the first or last thing college-aged people have to learn the hard way.