If you’re a sports fan and you’ve been watching the news lately, you’ve seen players from both Iowa and Iowa State getting trouble for a gambling scandal that is having a lasting effect on the season.
On Sept. 9, Iowa State played in the famous Iowa vs. Iowa State game, which Iowa State lost 20-13. Even when playing the game, they were still dealing with the punishment from gambling, QB Hunter Dekkers used his parents names to place bets. Hunter Dekkers pleaded guilty along with Offense Tackle Dodge Sauser.
Although Iowa and Iowa State are dealing with suspension and being charged for gambling under NCAA rules, the East High School Scarlets would also have some sort of punishment if they were doing something to hurt their team.
“You would probably have some running, you would have to do more than anyone else,” senior Dante Lewis said.
With the different coaches from the two Iowa schools, that punishment would probably be different than the Scarlets punishment.
The two schools were the only colleges to get caught in this scandal, but why were they the only ones who got investigated? Iowa and Iowa State were the only colleges to get caught and Kirk Ferentz was suspicious during his interview, when the two schools were under investigation.
“There would be many consequences such as suspensions and even cutting from the team if players were gambling illegally,” sophomore Johnathon Giefer said.
There are players that didn’t take the charge and are still fighting to play in the upcoming games for their college career.
“I think some players would bet on the team,” sophomore Marshawn Cochrun said.
Nobody would have ever thought that Iowa or Iowa State would bet on their own teams. A few days before the betting scandal broke in Iowa, Alabama fired the head baseball coach for “suspicious wagering activities.”
The gambling scandal is illegal because it’s against NCAA rules, but that doesn’t mean people outside of the NCAA can’t bet on teams. In 2019, betting became legal in Iowa, which was an opportunity for sports book apps to make more money. If you look through the app store in your phone, you might see DraftKings Sports Book, which is a very common app people use to bet on different sports. But betting isn’t just on those types of apps. Most people that play Fantasy Football bet on who is going to have the most points by the end of the season.
The NCAA has made the rules a lot stricter since the scandal. The NCAA is making quite a few changes to make sure student-athletes are making smarter choices when the of topic sports betting comes around. When making the rules the NCAA president Charlie Baker considered what students could go through when betting, such as harassments and threats if they don’t make the right choice. A statement by Baker says, “Some states have great policies on the books to protect student- athletes from harassments and coercion and to protect the integrity of the games, but as more states pass or amend laws, more needs to be done.”
