Kentucky Colleges Beefing Up Gaming Education for Athletes Ahead of Sports Betting Launch

• Kentucky universities and colleges are preparing for the state’s upcoming sports betting launch
• Several athletic departments are adding additional sports betting education programs this year
• Kentucky’s legal sports betting age of 18 adds another wrinkle to the challenge of educating student athletes

Collegiate sports programs are increasing Kentucky sports betting education for student athletes ahead of the state’s sports betting launch this month, as collegiate sports betting scandals continue to swirl throughout the country.

Kentucky colleges and universities have an additional wrinkle they must contend with in the state, as Kentucky’s legal age to sports bet is 18, meaning a significant portion of college students will be legally allowed to bet on sports in the commonwealth beginning their freshman year.

Nobody wants to garner the sports betting scandal headlines that have dogged the Iowa State’s football program and the University of Cincinnati and University of Alabama’s baseball program this past year.

“Kentucky’s new laws will make it increasingly important that our education is year-round, consistent, and regular going forward,” Scott Swegan, Senior Associate Athletic Director of Western Kentucky University, told Sports Betting Dime.

Increased Sports Betting Education for Kentucky Athletes Ahead of Launch

Education for student athletes has become even more of a priority for Kentucky institutions of higher learning as the commonwealth readies for its own September sports betting launch. Unlike the majority of states that have legalized sports betting, Kentucky legislators chose 18 as the legal sports betting age in the state, meaning the majority of Kentucky college students will be able to bet at brick-and-mortar sportsbooks and through online sports betting apps beginning their freshman year.

Starting Thursday, Sept. 7, eight licensed race tracks in the state will open their doors to sports betting, with at least one track, Churchill Downs Racetrack, allowing individuals 18 and older to legally bet at its sportsbook. Next, on Thursday, Sept. 28, Kentucky online sports betting will launch, with DraftKings Kentucky and Bet365 Kentucky both choosing to allow those who are 18 to use their apps.

The 18-year-old sports betting age and the imminent launch of Kentucky sports betting has made student-athlete sports betting education even more important this year. Several athletic programs are offering enhanced gaming education sessions for their athletes, coaches, and staff to avoid any confusion about potential penalties for engaging in sports betting or gambling and how it could affect their collegiate eligibility or careers.

“The education will increase this year due to Kentucky legalizing sports betting, but the incidents happening at other institutions around the country give WKU specific examples to point to, as well as possible punishments — both at the state and NCAA level — when educating our student-athletes, coaches and staff,” Swegan said.

Earlier this year the NCAA introduced modernized sports betting penalties for collegiate athletes. Athletes who engage in activities to influence the outcomes of their own games or “knowingly provide information to individuals involved in sports betting activities” will potentially face permanent loss of collegiate eligibility in all sports, according to the new guidelines.

Additionally, if a student-athlete wagers on their own sport at another school, education on sports wagering rules and prevention will be required and a loss of 50% of one season of eligibility will be considered as a condition of reinstatement.

However, for other sports betting incidents, such as a student-athlete placing wagers on a professional sports team, other factors will be taken into consideration before reinstatement is examined.

Over the past several years the University of Louisville has provided multiple ongoing educational programs for its student-athletes and staff related to sports gambling. This includes in-person meetings with athletes throughout the year, an annual student-athlete educational module, posted educational materials in athletic facilities, recurring text messages, and increased reminders surrounding large sporting events, Zach Greenwell, Associate Athletic Director of the University of Louisville, told Sports Betting Dime.

Increased programming will also take place leading into the state’s sports betting launch, he noted.

“Student-athletes and staff cannot wager on any NCAA sponsored sport at any level, including youth, high school, college, amateur and professional. While sports wagering becoming legal in the Commonwealth of Kentucky does not impact the NCAA prohibitions against sports gambling, we recognize that the legalization and increased attention and access to gambling does require an appropriate enhancement in our education and monitoring,” Greenwell said.

Collegiate Sports Betting Scandals Adding to Importance of Education

Most of the athletic department representatives Sports Betting Dime spoke with for this story mentioned the highly publicized collegiate sports betting scandals at the University of Iowa, Iowa State, University of Cincinnati, or University of Alabama as reasoning for increased education for their own athletic departments.

Iowa State and the University of Iowa revealed that 41 students between the two institutions were suspected of violating gambling rules earlier this year, according to ESPN.

In May, Iowa State acknowledged that state regulators were conducting a sports betting probe on the university that included 26 athletes and 15 students. A number of Iowa State athletes in the school’s football program have been entangled in the probe. Iowa State’s starting quarterback Hunter Dekkers has been accused of participating in sports betting, including betting on his own team and other teams at the university, and faces a criminal complaint for allegedly tampering with records to disguise his involvement.

Four additional Iowa State football players and three members of the staff have been charged in Iowa’s investigation of sports betting, alleging that several of the athletes placed bets on games in which they played.

Charges against the members of the team carry a maximum sentence of up to two years in prison and fines ranging from $855 to $8,540.

The University of Cincinnati and University of Alabama also came under fire this year when the two become embroiled in a sports betting scandal over baseball. Cincinnati baseball coach Scott Goggins resigned after six seasons, two Cincinnati baseball staffers were fired, and Alabama coach Brad Bohannon was fired after the father of a Cincinnati player allegedly acquired inside information on an LSU-Alabama baseball game in April.

The father tried to place a large bet on the game at an Ohio sportsbook. It was flagged as suspicious by the sportsbook and reported.

Kentucky athletic departments are not only increasing sports betting education for athletes to avoid these types of scandals, but they’re also looking to outside firms to help prevent any problems before they begin.

Schools Looking to Outside Resources for Education

Tony Neely, Assistant Athletic Director of the University of Kentucky, told Sports Betting Dime with the upcoming advent of legalized sports betting in Kentucky the university has increased sports betting and gaming programming to educate its athletic department this semester. As part of its increased education, the University of Kentucky brought U.S. Integrity, a sports integrity monitoring company, to its campus prior to the fall semester.

“With the upcoming advent of legalized gambling in Kentucky, UK Athletics has enhanced its educational program. A company titled U.S. Integrity has been the primary monitor for the Southeastern Conference and member schools since 2018. At the beginning of the fall semester, U.S. Integrity came to campus and gave an educational session for the entire University of Kentucky athletics department – coaches, staff and student-athletes. Each team also has educational sessions and reminders,” Neely told Sports Betting Dime.

U.S. Integrity Chief Operating Officer Scott Sadin told Sports Betting Dime there’s “no question” that the demand for in-person education from colleges throughout the county has increased this year.

The sports integrity monitoring company strives to provide context on the regulatory landscape, first and foremost, to university athletes, staff, and coaches, Sadin said. Real-life itemized case studies are presented during these sessions that provide circumstances of a sports betting or gambling controversy, how they were dealt with, and what should have happened to prevent them.

Pressure on student athletes, staff, and coaches to provide inside information on sporting events can come from a variety of bad actors, some of which may not be obvious. That’s where increased education is important so these individuals can be identified and reported, he noted.

“Bad actors are having to innovate ways to try to manipulate outcomes of a contest or obtain information that is deemed inside information. As a result of that, it may not always be obvious that someone is trying to be a bad actor. That’s a vulnerability that is important to understand. Here are different types of sports betting, here are different types of cases that have come up, and here is what a bad actor might do to gain an edge,” Sadin said.

It’s important for athletes to be educated about the implications of being caught up in one of these scandals, Sadin said. Yes, athletic eligibility concerns are important, but many athletes often don’t realize how their role in a sports betting integrity case can affect their future employment or how they could even face federal charges.

“We go through implications for violations, whether its eligibility concerns, employment concerns, some kind of government body sanctions. I think the thing that’s important for them to understand is that media can potentially get involved at some point. That can be a significant impact to your daily life and your professional life if that takes place,” he said.

The University of Louisville Athletic Department will be bringing in EPIC Risk Management, an independent gambling harm minimization consultancy, to host educational sessions for its staff in late September, Greenwell said.

“We’ll continue to consider any programming or resources that can help our student-athletes and staff make sound decisions,” he said.

EPIC Risk Management is in its second year of a relationship with the NCAA and visits around 75 colleges per year across every division, Dan Trolaro, Vice President of Prevention at EPIC Risk Management, told Sports Betting Dime.

Student-athletes face a bevy of challenges regarding sports wagering, even though the NCAA bylaws prevent them from engaging in any gambling activity related to sports. EPIC Risk Management reiterates that message from a compliance perspective, he noted, but also focuses on helping protect student-athletes both now and later in life.

“We cover elements such as athlete vulnerabilities, personality traits that lend themselves to addiction, warning signs of gambling-related harm and impact on mental health and performance, framed around the unique perspective that I can offer following my own harmful relationship with gambling, allowing those listening to form their own opinion on their future wagering decisions. There is also an insight into online athlete abuse and how to handle it, alongside explaining the risks around inside information and match-fixing,” Trolaro said.

EPIC Risk Management will provide resources to the athletes, staff, and coaches throughout the year. If any student is concerned about their relationship with gambling, Trolaro said the company will be signposting them to the Kentucky Council on Problem Gambling’s support contacts, as well as the National Problem Gambling Helpline or Gamblers Anonymous, depending on the severity of their situation.

Morehead State is also bringing in an outside resource to provide sports betting education to its athletes throughout the year. Matt Schabert, media relations director for Morehead State, told Sports Betting Dime that the university utilizes a services called “GamePlan” for life skills education for its athletes.

In addition to to extra sports betting education leading up to the fall semester, Schabert said university athletes will have access to the GamePlan programing throughout the year for additional guidelines and educational opportunities.