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NCAA Approves Sports Betting for Athletes by 2025

10/25/2025

Summary

Story summary

National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) approved a rule allowing college athletes and staff to bet on professional sports, effective November 1, 2025.
The change has support from all NCAA divisions and preserves a strict ban on betting related to college sports.
NCAA President Charlie Baker said the move does not endorse gambling but reflects an evolving landscape, and investigations into betting violations involving several athletes continue amid rising enforcement cases.

History

Historical Context

The Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA), enacted in 1992, banned sports betting in most states, with exceptions for four states. Following the Supreme Court's 2018 ruling that PASPA was unconstitutional, states began legalizing sports betting, leading to 30 states permitting it by 2023. The NCAA, historically opposed to gambling, recently adapted its policies to allow betting on professional sports while maintaining restrictions on college sports.

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Story summary

National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) approved a rule allowing college athletes and staff to bet on professional sports, effective November 1, 2025.
The change has support from all NCAA divisions and preserves a strict ban on betting related to college sports.
NCAA President Charlie Baker said the move does not endorse gambling but reflects an evolving landscape, and investigations into betting violations involving several athletes continue amid rising enforcement cases.

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