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Since we launched Bettors Insider two+ months ago, we've been telling anyone who would listen that the NCAA is going to have to get serious about sports betting because sports betting is very serious about the NCAA. Heard of this little thing called March Madness?
The easiest fix we suggested is that all schools are going to have to be honest and open about their injuries a set amount of time before game time. No one wants to put down $50 on the Murray St.-Austin Peay game and find out when the starting lineups are announced that Ja Morant tweaked his ankle in practice and is sitting this one out.
Why this matters in this hypothetical is because it puts pressure on Morant's teammates who will probably know he's out before the general public does and could thus be made susceptible to monetary enhancements in return for information. It's not about throwing games or shaving points (although that's certainly also possible), it's about the access to inside information and the willingness to sell it.
For years college coaches were very secretive about injuries because they thought it gave them an advantage, forcing the opponent to prepare for someone who wouldn't be playing and not for someone who would. That has to end.For everyone.
In the meantime, ESPN takes a deeper look into how the NCAA is forming a committee to study how sports betting can affect the game's integrity. You can read it here.
It was a relatively slow day with minimal NBA and college hoops action. But Craig Dietelwent 3-1 in NHL games and Neal Abrams went 8-3 in tennis action at Indian Wells.
We'll try to do even better today.
Good luck at the tables, windows, kiosks and apps.
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