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The NCAA has announced plans to implement player availability reports for the 2026 season in a push to protect student well-being. This comes after it was revealed that several NBA stars had allegedly used players’ injury information to place wagers.
Upon advice from the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Basketball Committees, the national arm of the office will put player availability reports into play for the 2026 season. The reports will ideally reduce betting-related pressure, solicitations, and harassment for student athletes in the latest push to protect young people’s well-being.
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“After months of thorough discussion and exploration, I applaud the Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Committees for taking such important action,” NCAA President Charlie Baker said in a statement. “Implementing player availability reporting is a major step to increasing student-athlete protections by alleviating pressures for the enhancement of their college experience.”
The NCAA availability report plans
The reports will be provided via HD Intelligence, with the company already providing similar services to multiple NCAA member conferences. They will be publicly available, as well as made directly applicable to all March Madness contests. Every team must initially submit reports to the NCAA by the night before the competition at the latest, as well as again two hours before game time for accurate information.
Failure to adhere to these rules could result in penalties for the school, which will be up to the Men’s and Women’s Basketball Committees to determine. While the player availability reports is in a pilot stage at the moment, the NCAA plans to use its progress here to evaluate if it could be put into action in other divisions or championships.
“The NCAA will continue to address the rise of sports betting through one of the world’s largest integrity monitoring programs, increasing online protections for student-athletes, delivering virtual and in-person education for student-athletes and athletics department staff nationwide, aggressively pursuing sports betting violations and advocating for the removal of risky prop bets,” said the organization.
Last month, the NCAA opened an investigation into sports betting concerns after it uncovered three others were involved in gambling on their own games.
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