SEC sets mandatory sports gambling education for athletes ahead of 2026-27 season

What's happening? During league spring meetings taking place in Destin, Florida, on Wednesday, the SEC announced a mandate that all conference athletes receive education on sports gambling before the start of their respective regular seasons in the 2026-27 athletic year. The "custom-designed" program will be executed via an educational video, a supplemental initiative to the league's involvement with IC360 (formerly US Integrity), a company that monitors sports gambling activities in real time.

What SEC commissioner Greg Sankey said: "The Southeastern Conference remains committed to supporting its member institutions and student-athletes through proactive education, monitoring, and resources that promote integrity and protect the student-athlete experience. The rise in sports gambling, including some recent well-documented incidents among college and professional athletics, as well as developments around prediction markets, makes this a high-priority initiative for the Southeastern Conference."

What it means: The SEC views this measure as a way to further ensure integrity in competition across sports. The league started producing athlete availability reports for football, men's and women's basketball, and baseball ahead of the 2024-25 season, and it also mandated posters hang in locker rooms and promoted a sports gambling tip line so athletes, coaches and staff can anonymously report suspicious activity. The conference claims the new video will "provide clear, practical guidance on recognizing risks" of betting on sports, along with education about SEC and NCAA policies.

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Brad Crawford