The University of Missouri-Columbia’s iconic columns on a winter day (University of Missouri photo).
The University of Missouri is facing critical decisions about sports betting in its campus community as the practice approaches legality in Missouri.
MU must decide whether to ban betting entirely for its campus community, partner with betting companies or find a middle ground. The university could also push for state regulations to restrict certain types of bets on college sports.
Amendment 2, approved by voters in November, mandates sports betting becomes operational in Missouri by December 2025. Growing MU student and statewide interest ahead of that date, though, may force quicker policy decisions by the university.
Colleges across the country are taking a wide range of approaches to legalized betting. Xavier University and Purdue University completely ban their campus communities from betting on school sports, but others, like Louisiana State University, have partnered with betting companies.
Five states — New Jersey, New Hampshire, Virginia, Delaware and Washington — ban all bets on their college teams. Illinois only allows college sports betting in person at casinos, not through apps.
The Southeastern Conference leaves betting policies up to individual schools while working with Integrity Compliance 360, formerly known as U.S. Integrity, to watch for suspicious betting patterns.
One factor MU will have to consider is the well-being of its athletes.
“Sports betting is an emerging concern due to the multiple potential negative impacts on student athletes,” said Pam Bruzina, MU Faculty Athletic Representative. “Student athlete well-being is one of my primary responsibilities and one that I take very seriously.”
Bruzina is currently advocating for a policy that would potentially prohibit MU faculty, staff and students from wagering on Mizzou sports, work to eliminate prop bets on collegiate student-athletes and assess the prevalence and impact of sports wagering on the general student body.
Recent NCAA research reveals 21.5% of male college athletes already bet on sports, despite current bans. Bruzina said athletes face increasing harassment from bettors on social media during NCAA championships.
“Student athletes can be pressured to share inside information that could affect betting, such as teammates’ injuries or illness,” she said.
MU Faculty Council Chair Tom Warhover told the Missourian, “This topic has been assigned to the Student Affairs Committee to assess the capacity of counseling and mental health services for students who may need assistance when dealing with the added pressures.”
It is unclear if Missouri’s regulations on sports betting will follow other states protecting college athletes from individual betting scrutiny. Thirteen states, including neighboring Iowa, ban bets on individual player performance, like how many points someone may score, while still allowing bets on game outcomes.
This story originally appeared in the Columbia Missourian. It can be republished in print or online.
This post was originally authored and published by Aiden Kauffman, Torryionna Miller from Missouri Independent via RSS Feed. Join today to get your news feed on Nationwide Report®.
