The state of Indiana is one of the few states that legalized sports betting following the landmark United States Supreme Court ruling that abolished PASPA. As expected, sports betting has quickly taken shape in the state with a number of operators hoping to capitalize on the new market’s opportunities. Unfortunately, while sports betting is certainly a big deal for all the residents of Indiana, it seems that not everyone will have the chance to bet on all sporting activities. If you are a student or an employee of Purdue University, this will definitely apply to you.
Last Thursday, the public university’s Board of Trustees officially approved the adoption of a sports wagering policy that will effectively apply to all of its faculty, staff and non-athlete students. The new policy prohibits the aforementioned parties from placing bets on sporting events that involve the university’s teams, coaches as well as its student-athletes. This applies to both the bets that are made online as well as those that are made using mobile devices.
Following in Saint Joseph’s Footsteps
While Purdue University is the very first school in Indiana to put a sports betting policy in place, it is not the very first one in the country to do so. The first to come up with such a policy was Saint Joseph’s university. The school included a similar ban on sports betting in its student handbook. Purdue is, however, the first in the Big Ten conference to pursue such a policy place.
It is speculated that the move will set off an avalanche of similar moves as more schools are reportedly considering such policies. This is becoming even more important due to the rapid spread of sports betting across the United States.
Why This Policy Is Important
It goes without saying that the gambling policy that has been put in place by the University is not only very logical but also legally compelling. To put this into perspective, depending on how close the policy will cut, it will provide reasonable protection against the potential misuse of authority by faculty members. Most college employees are presumably sober or reasonable enough to steer clear of such activities but there is the possibility that nefarious individuals will try to exploit the system.
“In that spirit and out of respect for our student-athletes and coaches, we believe this is the right action to take to reduce the potential for any student-athlete to feel compromised, for any implication of profiteering or inside information, or other problems,” said Purdue President Mitch Daniels.
The new policy could come into effect as soon as next week before the university’s game at Iowa. However, things are far from over as there are still quite a number of things that may need to be ironed out.
