With sports betting more prevalent than ever before, professional leagues and integrity firms that monitor the activity have gained significant visibility into the action. But that doesn’t mean they always like what they see.

Anytime an NFL player or anyone else logs into a sports betting app, the location of that device is instantly available to integrity analysts within a 3-foot radius. And the more data they have on a person, the better they can be at spotting suspicious behavior such as point-shaving or overall match-fixing.

Aside from the monetary benefits of the new sports betting market, there are some concerns about the impact on college-age students. A September 2023 NCAA survey found 10% of Division I respondents reported having been harassed online or in person by someone with gambling interests, while other studies show student-athletes are at a higher risk of developing problem gambling habits than the general population.

The NCAA will advocate for updating existing state sports betting laws and regulations to protect student-athletes from harassment or coercion, address the negative impacts of problem gambling and preserve the integrity of NCAA competition. The association also will continue its work to encourage responsible and ethical betting practices, including educating fans and players about the risks of unauthorized gambling and limiting betting-related advertising on its platforms.

A federal law known as the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) prevented states from establishing legal sports betting until this year, when the Supreme Court overturned it. Since then, states have been racing to legalize and regulate sports betting.