Two University of Texas Players Involved in Sports Betting Scandal

After an investigation into potential sports betting violations, the University has self-reported that five people, including two football players, wagered at a fantasy sports betting site called PrizePicks. The other individuals involved include a non-student athlete who has ties to the women’s tennis program, a student assistant and an athletic department employee.

Total wagers were $14,885 at Prizepicks, a site which allows people to wager on player stats. This and fantasy football are the only kinds of sports wagering which are licensed and regulated in the state of Texas.

The NCAA forbids players, coaches, and staff from wagering on sports in any way. The violations occurred between July 2024 and November 2024. The NCAA has claimed that an estimated 50 known sports betting violations occurred in 2023 and that number doubled to 100 last year.

The NCAA and UT use a service called Prohibet to track wagers which may be coming from their staff or players. Prohibet informed UT about the possible violations and an investigation began. The student assistant was let go and the non-student athletes were given a warning.

One of the players was initially deemed ineligible to play moving forward but was reinstated and ordered to pay back the value of the wagers to a charity of his choice.

The other player wagered an estimated $9,600 with two of those wagers placed on Texas basketball. The player has claimed he has a gambling problem and has since left the school. The names have not been released.