Ole Miss Coach Lane Kiffin Hires Sports Betting Educators

Ole Miss Coach Lane Kiffin Hires Sports Betting Educators

Time Stamp: April 4, 2024 3:57 PM

Getting ahead of the issue

What do sports betting and NIL have in common? They’re both a little bit like the Wild West and tough for college coaches and players to come to terms with — but not Lane Kiffin.

The confusion regarding what is and isn’t allowed for student-athletes as it relates to sports wagering is why the Ole Miss football coach brought in experts to educate himself, his players, and his staff about the rules and regulations surrounding legal sports betting.

doesn’t want his Rebels to end up on the unforgiving side of potential punishment.

Several major betting scandals involving college students and staff members have already rocked the NCAA, and Kiffin doesn’t want his Rebels to end up on the unforgiving side of potential punishment.

Lane Kiffin champions sports betting education

Kiffin drew inspiration from the NFL, which requires rookies to undergo mandatory training regarding sports betting and has devoted extra resources to ensuring players are equipped with the knowledge to keep them out of trouble.

“I don’t have a ton of knowledge in that area, so we bring people in for that,” Kiffin said on Tuesday. “We had someone speak to SEC coaches about a year ago, and I thought that they did a great job. They had worked with the NFL and other colleges and knew how it worked. They were able to get the alerts and track where the bets come from.”

guys have to understand to protect themselves and protect the team”

“They did such a good job that we brought them in here before the season to talk to our guys about that. It’s just another one of those things out there that guys have to understand to protect themselves and protect the team.”

The NCAA guidelines are clear: student-athletes and athletics employees cannot bet on any organized sports at the amateur or professional level and also may not share sensitive information with sports bettors.

That said, the NCAA last summer introduced updated punishment standards for individuals who are found to have bet on sports. The new standards say:

  • For individuals who bet $200 or less – Underdog sports betting rules and prevention courses
  • For individuals who bet $201-$500 – Take the course and miss 10% of the season.
  • For individuals who bet $501-$800 – Take the course and miss 20% of the season
  • For individuals who bet $801 or more – Take the course and miss 30% of the season.

Anyone who bets significantly more than $800 could be suspended for longer, depending on the severity. 

Sports betting is taking over

While Kiffin’s decision to hire external help might seem a little over-the-top to outsiders, it is a perfect representation of the state of college athletics and sports in general.

Sports betting has completely taken over in recent years. Americans bet nearly $120bn in 2023, and numerous athletes have spoken about the constant cheers and abuse they receive from game-attending bettors depending on how they perform.

protect the integrity of college sports and also reduce the harassment

NCAA President Charlie Baker issued a public statement last week imploring states to remove all player prop bets for college athletes from the catalog of available markets. His reasoning for doing so was to protect the integrity of college sports and also reduce the harassment student-athletes are facing.

Last year, the University of Alabama baseball coach was found to have shared sensitive information regarding a player injury with a colleague he urged to bet on Bama’s opponent, LSU. 

A lengthy investigation into betting scandals at the University of Iowa and Iowa State University also resulted in more than 20 current and former athletes being hit with charges from tampering with records to identity theft. 

Kiffin’s team is third in odds to win the SEC in 2024 at +650, according to FanDuel. Georgia and Texas lead the way at +185 and +310, while Alabama (+950), LSU (+1000), and Tennessee (+1100) are just behind.

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