Investigation: Montana Slips Under the Radar of NCAA, Big Changes Could be Coming

Investigation: Montana Slips Under the Radar of NCAA, Big Changes On the Way

Tools

By KFBB Sports_Team

Story Published: May 28, 2009 at 6:22 PM MDT

Story Updated: May 28, 2009 at 7:21 PM MDT

For the last decade, there has been playoff football every year at Washington Grizzly Stadium. But the NCAA says the Cats and Griz wont be allowed to host postseason games from now on under its current set of gambling rules.

"Any session of an NCAA championship cannot be conducted in a metropolitan area where legal wagering is available for sports," says NCAA spokesperson Stacey Osburn.

The policy has been in place since 2004 for basketball, but was extended to cover all sports in 2008. Under the rule, playoff games the Griz hosted against Texas State and Weber State last season should never have happened.

"That was an administrative oversight on our part, and something we've put processes in place to make sure it doesn't happen again," Osburn says.

In Montana, you can't bet directly on the outcome of a game, but other forms of sports wagering are allowed. The state lottery runs a fantasy sports game for professional sports. Also legal are sports pools and sports tab games, found at bars across the state. In these, players are assigned random numbers right before a game, and winners are determined by the game's score rather than the final outcome. As of now, the NCAA sees no difference between this type of wagering and betting directly on the outcome of a game.

"Montana has been flying under the radar. It's an odd thing that nobody has been paying any attention to what type of gambling is allowed by the state," says Big Sky Conference Commissioner Doug Fullerton.

Sports gambling once again caught the eye of the NCAA when Delaware recently proposed bringing it back. Along with Montana, Delaware is one of only 4 states (nevada and Oregon are the others) exempt from Congress's 1992 ban on sports betting since it was legal in those states at the time.

"It's a tough issue and if I watched what the NCAA's position is with Delaware, it was pretty hard line," says Fullerton. "That's not the final ruling. There are some avenues, before everybody takes up the pitchforks and storms the castle. We will be heard. I think there are some middle grounds we will propose to them."

The policy will be reviewed by the NCAA Sportsmanship Committee in early June. A final decision likely wont come until August, when it's voted on by the NCAA Executive Commmitte - made up of university presidents and athletic directors. Weber State's president is part of that committee, so the Big Sky Conference will have a voice.

We'll continue to follow this story as it develops.

Missoula

Icon
Current Temp 49.0 °F
Fair
Wind : Calm
Pressure : 1024.7 mb
Humidity : 71 %
More Weather

Butte

Icon
Current Temp 40.0 °F
Fair
Wind : Southeast at 4.6 MPH (4 KT)
Pressure : 1025.3 mb
Humidity : 77 %
More Weather

On Demand

Stock Quotes
This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.

Poll

Do you think Montana's DUI laws need to be tougher?

  • Yes
  • No

AP Video