The University of Texas athletic department has reported six additional NCAA violations tied to sports wagering activity by individuals associated with its programs, according to a recent report. The violations involve prohibited betting on daily fantasy sports platforms, like PrizePicks and Underdog. They were self-disclosed as part of the university’s ongoing compliance and monitoring efforts, adding to a growing number of gambling-related infractions reported by the school in recent months.
The six individuals placed a total of 121 wagers totaling just over $1,096. Two of those individuals were fired, one had already left the university, and three remain employed. The report also found that at least two of the bets were placed on Texas sporting events.
Even though daily fantasy sports like PrizePicks and Underdog are legal in Texas, it is prohibited for NCAA employees to place wagers on any sport covered by the NCAA.
The activity was identified through ProhiBet, a monitoring service used to detect betting by individuals affiliated with athletic programs. These six cases add to an ongoing pattern, increasing the number of sports-betting violations reported by Texas to at least 11 over the past 18 months.
The violations underscore the NCAA’s strict prohibition on sports wagering by athletes and athletic department personnel, regardless of whether the activity is legal under state law.
The case also highlights the expanding use of monitoring tools such as ProhiBet and the heightened scrutiny athletic departments face as legalized gambling and fantasy sports become more widespread. As schools increase oversight and self-reporting, these incidents illustrate the ongoing challenges institutions encounter in educating staff and athletes on evolving gambling rules and enforcing compliance.
Internal records suggest that confusion over NCAA sports-wagering rules was a common factor across many of the violations. Several individuals indicated they did not fully understand the scope of the restrictions, particularly where NCAA regulations differ from state law.
Some believed daily fantasy sports were permitted because they are legal in Texas, while others assumed betting on professional sports was allowed after the NCAA briefly considered, and later withdrew in November, a proposal that would have permitted such wagers.
The documents also show that the most frequent bettor, an unnamed athletic department employee who placed 85 wagers, including 10 involving Texas teams, was not dismissed. Those bets occurred between November 2023 and January 2024, before the university expanded its education efforts on NCAA wagering rules.
The activity was eventually detected when compliance monitoring software flagged the account during an attempt to review betting transactions for tax purposes.
The NCAA needs to ensure that its rules around gambling are fully transparent, preventing mistakes like this from happening again.
