The Michigan Gaming Control Board discussed college sports betting regulations and compliance this week with a panel that included representatives from the MGCB, NCAA, FBI, BetMGM, and Integrity Compliance 360.
“The Michigan Gaming Control Board is dedicated to fostering a transparent and compliant gaming environment, particularly in the realm of college sports betting,” MGCB Executive Director Henry Williams said.
“By hosting this panel discussion and engaging with NCAA Division I collegiate officials involved with overseeing compliance, talking about ways in which we might be able to work together to prevent student-athletes from illegally gambling, we aim to uphold the highest standards of integrity and responsibility.”
Staying proactive
College athletes are wagering on sports, despite it being against NCAA policy. There have been several highly-publicized cases over the last year at Iowa and Iowa State, where student-athletes were found to be betting illegally. Former LSU receiver Kayshon Boutte, now in the NFL, also broke Louisiana laws for betting underage. The Temple men’s basketball team had a game flagged by U.S. Integrity this past season.
There are nearly 100 colleges and universities in the Wolverine State with thousands of students competing in athletics as well as 13 online sportsbooks and 20 retail shops operating in Michigan. The MGCB wants address integrity issues before they occur.
Focus on education
The MGCB held the event to seek industry insight and discuss the governing of sports betting in college athletics, the importance of maintaining integrity, rules, regulations, and compliance measures.
IC360, which works with professional leagues and collegiate conferences as well as sports betting operators and providers, believes educating college athletes is key.
“Athletes are risk takers and are conditioned to know if they practice, they can get better, but the problem is that’s not how gambling works,” Dan Trolaro, Co-Managing Director of Education and Training Services at IC360, said. “Current K-12 educational curriculums include discussions about drugs, alcohol, and stranger danger but not about gambling, risk-taking, and decision-making. We need to create curriculum about gambling so that we can empower our student-athletes and equip them with the tools they need to succeed in life after college.”
