US colleges push for integrity fees

Concerned about potential increases of costs for sports integrity control, athletic departments look to get a cut out of sports betting revenues.

US.- Sports betting is coming to every state in the US sooner or later and that’s why regulatory efforts are being doubled all across the country. As some states have already legalised the segment, collegiate athletic departments are racing to get an integrity fee set in order to get a cut of the revenue to fund sports integrity control.

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith had already expressed his concerns about the segment’s impact back in June, but other institutions have taken their own worries a step further and sought to get funding. However, they’ll have to face the American Gaming Association’s (AGA) opposition, as suggested by senior vice president of public affairs Sara Slane.

The executive explained that fees would see 20 per cent of the segment’s profit going to its recipients. “It’s absolutely absurd,” she said and added: “There is no business that would agree to that. It’s not going to accomplish ultimately what I think the leagues would like to see – even the colleges would like to see – which is to have regulated, legalized sports betting and consumers partaking in that platform versus continuing down the path of the illegal market.”

Marshall University athletic director Mike Hamrick attended a May meeting where integrity fees were discussed and said colleges need funding to help them control sports integrity. His peer at West Virginia University, Shane Lyons, added that both West Virginian colleges were barely consulted about the segment’s legalisation (operations will begin next September 1st) and asserted: “As the director of athletics of West Virginia University, my job is to protect the integrity of this department. The last thing I want is for one of my athletes to be involved in any type of issue with sports betting.”