An investigation into an illegal sports betting ring across the United States is ongoing, raising concerns for college athletes.
While online betting, including sports betting, is on the rise in the US, many believe that betting on college sports shouldn’t be allowed. Indeed, some states have bans on college sports betting. However, an illegal nationwide ring is raising fear that college athletes could be at risk.
Betting scandals around student sports has already been widely reported on when it comes to basketball. However, betting on college games is becoming a rising concern to experts like Chris Grant, the commissioner of the Southland Conference, as reported by Gambling News.
How are college athletes at risk?
Gambling ring members are traveling to colleges and throwing parties for the athletes, using them as a location to offer bets and games that aim to get student athletes into debt or other compromising situations.
“And when [student athletes] come to these parties, they get them to gamble on site and (then say), ‘OK, well you owe me X amount of dollars on the back end,’” explained the commissioner in an interview with ESPN.
The widespread reports of such events suggest the presence of a nationwide group, with Mr Grant warning: “It is going on around the country.”
In an effort to uncover more about the ring, the Southland Conference has joined forces with leading compliance company ICE360 to launch an ongoing investigation.
“For us, it seems to point back to an organized crime ring that’s not just localized in the Southland footprint,” Mr Grant concluded.
Lack of clear reporting about such parties makes it hard to know how many athletes, teams, or schools may be being targeted. However, the concern is that it could be putting young athletes and students at risk, as well as compromising the integrity of games and the wider sports betting industry.
Featured image: Wikimedia Commons, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
