The NCAA says it won’t look to collect so-called “integrity fees” regardless of costs associated with compliance and monitoring of organized gambling on college sports.
According to the USA Today, NCAA senior vice president and chief financial officer Kathleen McNeely said that if sports gambling continues to operate on a state-by-state basis, it will be up to individual schools to decide if they want to pursue integrity fees
However, McNeely made it clear that the NCAA’s national office will not be going after any gambling revenues. “We know it will cost money to monitor, but (association president) Mark Emmert has been pretty firm in saying he doesn’t think it’s appropriate for the NCAA to try to access that revenue. Schools will need to look at their own values and decide” what to do,” McNeely said during remarks at the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics annual convention.
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According to the McNeely, the NCAA remains opposed to sports betting, and Emmert feels it would “disingenuous (for the association) to think about taking revenue” from the activity.
The NCAA will be setting aside a one-time $10 million allocation in 2018-19 to implement recommendations from the Commission on College Basketball that was chaired by former secretary of state Condoleezza Rice. The association will then make $2.5 million available for such expenses every year going forward.
