Mere minutes after the U.S. Supreme Court delivered a monumental ruling last week that permits every state the opportunity to implement sports betting, the NCAA disseminated a statement:
“Today the United States Supreme Court issued a clear decision that PASPA is unconstitutional, reversing the lower courts that held otherwise. While we are still reviewing the decision to understand the overall implications to college sports, we will adjust sports wagering and championship policies to align with the direction from the Court,” wrote the NCAA’s chief legal officer, Donald Remy.
With that, the NCAA, which has played a game of tug-of-war for years with its staunch anti-college gambling stance, was placed on notice as the inevitable finally happened in the sports betting world. Legal betting will be allowed on college games in states —not just Nevada anymore — if the individual states so choose.
According to the high court, states aren’t obligated to institute sports betting, but the ones who want it can’t be denied by the federal government. And it’s clear that the ruling isn’t only about the pro leagues.
Colleges are now officially in the same room with the big boys when it comes to sports gambling.
Allen Sanderson, a senior lecturer at the University of Chicago who specializes in sports economics, put a bow on the situation in his own inimitable way. Sanderson, who has long viewed the NCAA with a cynical eye, said the NCAA’s true feelings about this historic Supreme Court ruling lie in the punch line of those popular Capital One credit card commercials featuring actress Jennifer Garner and actor Samuel L. Jackson.
“The NCAA is opposed to anything that affects their wallet,” said Sanderson in an interview with Diverse. “It’s about more than greed; it’s about their self-interest. For the NCAA, it’s like that commercial, ‘What’s in your wallet?’’’
