The NCAA delayed a rule change allowing its athletes to bet on pro sports.

A rule change allowing college athletes to gamble on professional sports was supposed to go into effect Saturday. On Tuesday, the NCAA Div. I board voted to delay that change until Nov. 22. Based on some of the public reaction to the new rule, the delay was a wise decision. More conversations are necessary before creating what could be a slippery slope with serious consequences.

The NCAA approved the change earlier this month as caseloads of alleged betting violations continued to increase with the spread of legal sports betting. Under the current rule, college athletes are prohibited from betting on any NCAA-sanctioned sport at any level. The new rule would only restrict betting on the college level, or sharing non-public information with bettors.

The change was an acknowledgement that the rules were too stringent for wholesale enforcement or compliance -- and too strict in an environment where sports betting is so pervasive (especially on college campuses). It continued a rolling back of antiquated betting restrictions that began in June 2023 when the NCAA originally loosened its sanctions for non-college gambling, which used to result in a minimum one-year loss of eligibility.

There's certainly an argument for moving forward with the change. It hardly makes sense for an athlete to miss any time in their respective season for a harmless bet. So what if a volleyball player throws a few bucks on an NBA game? Not to mention, athletes with potential gambling problems are more likely to ask for help knowing they won't be punished.

However, there's another side of the argument worth exploring before making a change that could potentially create more problem gamblers. NCAA president Charlie Baker apparently didn't examine that other side enough with some of the biggest stakeholders, because SEC commissioner Greg Sankey sent him a note Saturday asking for the rule change to be rescinded. "This policy change represents a major step in the wrong direction," Sankey wrote. University of Pittsburgh football coach Pat Narduzzi called the change "one of the stupidest decisions I've ever seen."

The argument against the change is easy to see too. You don't want to make it so easy for student-athletes to gamble that some potentially get addicted to the point of breaking the rules against betting on college events or even their own teams -- or build a debts that leave them vulnerable to exploitation by bettors who seek information.

I don't have the answer for the best way to move forward, but it's obvious more conversations are needed with the right people before the NCAA moves forward with a change. This delay will allow for those conversations to be had and more voices to be heard. Whichever direction the NCAA goes, it needs to be sure. This isn't an area it can afford to be wrong.

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This article originally appeared on For The Win: NCAA needs to be sure before changing rules on sports betting

Reporting by Prince J. Grimes, For The Win / For The Win

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