NCAA: 36% Of DI Men’s Hoops ‘Harassed By Bettors’; Football Also Targeted

By Barry Janoff

November 18, 2025: As it awaits the outcome of its decision to allow student-athletes to wager on professional sports, the NCAA is dealing with related issues regarding sports betting within its parameters, including banning six college basketball players for participating in sports-betting operations and the results of its own study that showed more than one-third of Div. I men's basketball student-athletes reported experiencing social media abuse related to sports betting within the last year,

According to a just-released report, the NCAA revealed that 36% of Div. I men's basketball student-athletes reported experiencing social media abuse related to sports betting within the last year.

Among football student-athletes in the Football Bowl Subdivision, 16% reported receiving negative or threatening messages, while 26% reported interacting with a student who had bet on their team.

Overall, 7% of Div. I men's sports athletes reported receiving negative or threatening messages from fans who bet on their game, and 9% had experienced a student telling them that they won or lost a bet they placed on them.

The NCAA's "Student-Athlete Needs, Aspiration and Perspectives" study, aka SNAP, is a new survey tool for Div. I. student-athletes.

Administered Sept. 30-Oct. 5 via mobile app, the survey asked 19 questions about current Div. I topics, including performance technology, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee resources, fan behavior related to sports betting, and mental well-being. Survey participation was voluntary and confidential. 

The NCAA said nearly 6,800 students from 153 Div. I schools took the survey.

This follows a NCAA study regarding Div. I Men’s and Women’s March Madness, in conjunction with Signify Group, which found that one-in-three high-profile athletes receivecd abusive messages from someone with a betting interest; more than 540 abusive betting-related messages were directed at men's and women's basketball student-athletes, including death threats; and that women's basketball student-athletes received approximately three times more threats than men's basketball student-athletes.

The NCAA said its rules currently ban participation in sports betting activities and prohibit providing information to individuals involved in or associated with any type of sports betting activities concerning intercollegiate, amateur or professional athletics competition.

The NCAA also said it has successfully petitioned four states to eliminate prop bets on college athletes.

“States and gaming operators that continue to offer these bets are putting student-athletes and competition integrity at risk," NCAA President Charlie Baker said via the organization.

"The NCAA runs the largest integrity monitoring program in the country, and we educate hundreds of thousands of student-athletes about the damages of sports betting, but regulators, lawmakers and gaming operators can and should do more."

According to the NCAA, the rise in sports betting creates unique challenges in college athletics. 

“Certain bets such as player-specific prop bets create circumstances where student-athletes and other athletics personnel received targeted harassment by bettors. A September 2023 NCAA survey of campus administrators found 10% of Division I respondents said they were aware of student-athletes being harassed online or in person by someone with gambling interests”

In addition, “Billion-dollar ad campaigns can entice student-athletes or those around them to engage in sports betting irresponsibly. College-age students are more likely to develop problem gambling habits.”

The NCAA said it is the only major sports league in the U.S. to prohibit commercial partnerships and advertisements with sportsbooks. 

Earlier this month, according to ESPN, 14 people were charged for their roles in a multimillion-dollar illegal sports betting ring that involved college athletes and had links to organized crime that ran a nationwide network of bookmakers who used offshore websites to facilitate approximately $2 million in bets between 2022 and 2024.

ESPN reported that the NCAA is aware of the charges and is looking into the case, according to a spokesperson.

According to AP Sports, the NCAA said in October it was investigating at least 30 current or former players for gambling allegations. On Nov. 7, the NCAA revoked the eligibility of six men’s college basketball players as a result of three separate sports-betting cases that involved a power-conference school and allegations of players throwing games to lose by more points than the spread.

On Oct. 22,, the NCAA Div. II Management Council approved “noncontroversial legislation” to permit student-athletes and athletics department staff members to bet on professional sports, but not on college sports..

The rule change required approval by all three divisions and was to go into effect Nov. 1. 

On Oct. 28, the Div. I Board of Directors voted to delay the effective date until Nov. 22.

According to ESPN, SEC commissioner Greg Sankey sent a letter to NCAA president Charlie Baker on Oct. 25, stating that during an Oct. 13 conference meeting, "The message of our Presidents and Chancellors was clear and united: this policy change represents a major step in the wrong direction."

NCAA Proposal On Hold To Allow Student-Athletes To Wager On Pro, Not College, Sports

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