The gambling policies of the NCAA and major professional sports leagues differ. To get an idea of what's allowed, we break it down by sport to see how they're navigating the evolving American betting scene.

NFL

  • Is sports gambling allowed? Players are allowed to bet on non-NFL events with legal sportsbooks, but all other league personnel, including coaches, officials and trainers are prohibited from all sports betting.
  • Where is sports gambling allowed? Players may not place bets from any team or league facilities nor when they’re on the road with their team.
  • Does this include any wager? Yes.
  • Does this include Super Bowl squares, NCAA tournament brackets or fantasy sports? NFL players are not allowed to participate in Super Bowl squares pools. They can play fantasy sports with some restrictions on the type of contests and the value of the prizes available. NFL personnel may not accept prizes from any season-long fantasy contests in excess of $250. They are not allowed to participate in any “daily or other similar short duration fantasy football game that offers a prize.”
  • The 2022 NFL gambling policy states, “These prohibitions are intended to avoid any appearance of impropriety which may result from participation in fantasy football games by an individual perceived to have an unfair advantage due to the preferential access to information.”
  • Are athletes required to sign a statement acknowledging gambling rules? Yes, as it’s part of the player contract. Each contract has a section in which the player must acknowledge the league rules spelled out in the CBA.
  • What are the punishments? Players who have been found to have placed bets on the NFL have received indefinite suspensions of at least one year. Players who have been found to have placed bets while at team or league facilities have received six-game suspensions.
  • Former Detroit Lions receiver Quintez Cephus, former Lions safety C.J. Moore and former Washington Commanders defensive end Shaka Toney were suspended in April for at least one year for allegedly betting on the NFL. The same penalty was levied against Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Calvin Ridley in 2022, when he was with the Atlanta Falcons, and former Arizona Cardinals defensive back Josh Shaw in 2019. Ridley was reinstated in March.
  • Also in April, Lions wideouts Stanley Berryhill and Jameson Williams were suspended for six games for allegedly placing bets — not on NFL games — while at a team facility. And in December, New York Jets wide receivers coach Miles Austin was suspended by the league for, according to his legal representation, "wagering on table games and non-NFL professional sports.”
  • How is it catching offenders? The NFL beefed up its in-house technology, dedicating security personnel to the space and partnering with sportsbooks and integrity firms to create a network that monitors the betting market and identifies improper bettors. The league now has more visibility of bets on the NFL, where they’re placed and who has made them.
  • Sportsbooks and state regulators use geolocation services to track where bets are placed. After the suspensions in April, the NFL Players Association sent an email to all agents, alerting them that some of the violations involved players placing bets while using mobile apps on their phones while at work or while traveling with their teams.