Key Takeaways
•All SEC student-athletes must complete a sports betting education video before the 2026-27 season begins.
•58% of Americans ages 18–22 have placed at least one sports bet.
•About $12 billion was wagered on games involving SEC teams during the 2025-26 school year.
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is taking new steps to address the growing popularity of sports betting among college athletes. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey announced Wednesday during the conference’s spring meetings in Florida that all student-athletes will be required to complete a sports betting education video before their first regular season game in 2026-27.
The decision comes as sports betting continues to grow across the United States, especially among young adults and college students.
A Conference-Wide Mandate Takes Shape
The new requirement will become part of the compliance programs already used at SEC schools. Every student-athlete at all SEC universities, including Ole Miss and Mississippi State, will need to complete the training every year.
The video will explain the dangers of sports betting, NCAA and SEC gambling rules, and how athletes can report problems or suspicious activity. Sankey said the SEC wants to educate athletes and protect the fairness of college sports before bigger problems develop.
SEC officials pointed to several statistics that helped drive the decision. Research shows that 58% of people between 18 and 22 years old have placed at least one sports bet. Among students living on college campuses, that number rises to 67%.
In addition, 31% of adults under age 30 said they placed a sports wager within the last year. Officials also reported that about $12 billion was wagered on games involving SEC teams during the 2025-26 academic year.
These numbers show how quickly sports betting has grown since many states passed regulation in recent years.
High-Profile Cases Accelerate the Conversation, and Building on an Existing Integrity Framework
The SEC also referenced recent gambling cases involving athletes at both the college and professional levels. One example involved Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby. During an NCAA investigation connected to Cincinnati, officials found that Sorsby had reportedly placed more than $10,000 in bets. He later lost his college eligibility.
Sankey also mentioned concerns about prediction markets and other new forms of gambling. The SEC says it plans to closely monitor these newer betting systems in addition to sportsbooks like DraftKings and FanDuel.
This is not the SEC’s first effort to address sports gambling. In 2018, the conference partnered with IC360, formerly called US Integrity, to monitor betting activity connected to SEC sports programs.
That partnership allows the conference to track suspicious betting patterns and possible rule violations. The new education video adds another layer by focusing directly on teaching athletes about gambling risks and rules.
SEC officials believe that combining monitoring systems with athlete education will help reduce future gambling-related issues.
What’s Next
The new requirement will begin before the 2026-27 athletic year starts. SEC schools must now add the training video to their compliance schedules.
Other major conferences, including the Big Ten, ACC, and Big 12, could soon adopt similar programs as sports betting continues to expand nationwide. The NCAA may also increase its focus on gambling education in college athletics.
For now, the SEC is positioning itself as a leader in addressing one of the biggest integrity concerns facing college sports today.
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