The NCAA is moving to address sports betting integrity in new ways and said it would form an internal group to study "how best to protect game integrity, monitor betting activity, manage sports data and expand educational efforts," according to Ryan Rodenberg of ESPN.com. The NCAA's efforts are due in part to a "confluence of recent events that have highlighted the need for a change in how sports betting is monitored." For starters, NCAA team championship futures odds shifted "markedly after Duke's Zion Williamson injured his knee last month." Also, two recent late-game officiating disputes have left the NCAA "considering whether to review all buzzer-beaters, even if the outcome of the game would not be impacted." Having the NCAA, certain conferences, and single schools "addressing sports betting represents a seismic shift from where college sports were 20 years ago." The conference and college-level roles in sports betting "may not end with integrity-focused issues." Sources said that individual conferences, and perhaps even single schools, could "join pro leagues in signing joint marketing and sponsorship deals with sportsbooks." Even the NCAA has "signaled its interest in monetizing one aspect of sports betting" (ESPN.com, 3/11).
