College football season arrives as gambling scandals, bet monitoring take on primary role

abcnews.go.com:

University athletic departments and college conferences use independent sports-betting monitoring services to make sure athletes and personnel do not bet on sports

LAS VEGAS — North Carolina junior tight end John Copenhaver gets group text message from his university pointing out the latest betting scandal or reminding him of the importance of not violating rules against betting on sports.

“It’s being put in our heads every single day," he said.

Schools feel they have no choice. The spread of legalized sports gambling — and some early scandals — have captured the full attention of athletic departments and conference offices. All major conferences are paying independent betting monitors to make sure their athletes abide by the rules — and catch those who are not.

All of this means the personal information surrendered by athletes — birthdays, addresses, Social Security numbers, cell phone numbers — is used in a way unlike the same information shared by their fellow students. Some combination of those details can tip off a betting monitor that something doesn't look right.

“They're just onboarding and they’re going through the documents just like any other student, though in this case, a student-athlete will have a higher obligation," Creighton sports law professor David Weber said. He said athletes who provide personal information would have a difficult time saying they didn't realize what they were signing.

The desire by universities to keep a close eye on the betting market was driven home over the past several months because of scandals at Alabama, Iowa and Iowa State.

More than a dozen current and former Iowa and Iowa State athletes and staffers face charges and the Cyclones may kick off their football season missing