Iowa State QB Hunter Dekkers Accused of Sports Betting, Faces Permanent Loss of Collegiate Eligibility

• Iowa State starting quarterback Hunter Dekkers has been accused of placing 26 wagers on Iowa State teams, including his own
• He faces criminal complaint from the Story County Attorney’s Office for allegedly tampering with records to disguise his involvement in sports betting
• Dekkers faces a permanent loss of collegiate sports eligibility for allegedly betting on his own team

Iowa State’s starting quarterback has been accused of participating in sports betting, including betting on his own team and other teams at the university, and also faces a criminal complaint for allegedly tampering with records to disguise his involvement.

As reported by the Des Moines Register, Hunter Dekkers, the Iowa State Cyclones starting quarterback, faces a criminal complaint from the Story County Attorney’s Office for allegedly tampering with records to disguise his involvement in sports betting. The complaint alleges Dekkers completed 366 online sports bets from a DraftKings account, totaling over “$2,799,” and manipulated the transactions to make it appear as if another individual placed the bets.

Dekkers is alleged to have bet on 26 sporting events involving Iowa State teams, including his own team in 2021.

Dekkers was one of two current Iowa State athletes, and one former athlete, to be charged on Aug. 1.

Dekkers’ Attorney Denies Charges

According to the Des Moines Register, Dekkers’ attorney denied the charges and said he will plead not guilty.

“Hunter Dekkers denies the criminal charge brought against him. He will plead not guilty to that charge because he is in fact not guilty of that charge,” attorney Mark Weinhardt said in a statement to the Register. “This charge attempts to criminalize a daily fact of American life. Millions of people share online accounts of all kinds every day.”

He went on to say that thousands of college athletes place bets through shared accounts and the matter is for schools and the NCAA to police.

Dekkers is alleged to have bet on an Iowa State football game against Oklahoma State on Oct. 23, 2021. Dekkers was the backup quarterback during the game and did not play.

In May, Iowa State acknowledged that state regulators were conducting a sports betting probe on the university that included 26 athletes and 15 students.

Dekkers Faces Permanent Loss of Eligibility

Even if the criminal complaint doesn’t stick, Dekkers still faces permanent loss of collegiate sports eligibility if he actually placed bets on his Iowa State Cyclone football team and other teams at the university.

The NCAA recently released new guidelines for student athletes found participating in sports betting. While several of the penalties were modernized to reflect sports betting’s legalization throughout the country, athletes who wager on their own games or on other sports at their own schools “will potentially face permanent loss of collegiate eligibility in all sports.”