The NFL has made it clear that players, coaches and front office staff can not bet on games if they are employed by the team. But what is less obvious is that the league’s ban on betting extends to any form of gambling, even if it is not illegal. That’s where Detroit Lions wide receivers Jameson Williams and Stanley Berryhill run into trouble, leading to six-game suspensions.

The NBA’s new official betting partnerships will make DraftKings and FanDuel co-official sports betting partners with expanded rights to integrate league marks, logos and data into their sports betting and daily fantasy sports platforms. The partnership will also include education on responsible gambling, including social media messaging, public advocacy and adherence to best-in-class standards.

Legal online sports betting is now available in 34 U.S. states, with more on the horizon. It’s a huge opportunity for operators, but it presents unique challenges for the NCAA and its athletes.

One major concern is the prevalence of sports betting among college students. A survey conducted by the NCAA found that 27% of autonomy schools had dealt with a sports betting problem among student-athletes in the previous year, a dramatic increase from 2019.

Another challenge is the proliferation of sharp group betting, which involves placing bets on multiple teams at the same time. To do this, the betting groups must collect hundreds of accounts and then utilize a software system that can input bets into each account at the same time. To avoid being caught, the betting groups often use if bets (a straight bet joined by an “if” clause) to cover their tracks.