Fair Play Sports Enforcement Act Addresses Illegal College Betting
David Genge Published 26/10/2026
Congress is introducing the Fair Play Sports Enforcement Act, which would punish colleges that are suiting up players found to have bet on NCAA games. The focus of the bill is to protect the integrity of college athletics by holding colleges and universities accountable for fielding athletes who violate established standards of fair competition.
The Fair Play Enforcement Act holds colleges and universities accountable for fielding athletes who violate the standards of collegiate competition. The legislation would impose an excise tax penalty on a school that knowingly or reasonably should have known it was fielding a player in a sanctioned competition who gambled on collegiate sports.
House Ways and Means Committee members introduced the Fair Play Sports Enforcement Act
U.S. Representatives Adrian Smith, a Republican from Nebraska, and Brendan F. Boyle, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, introduced the Fair Play Sports Enforcement Act before Congress. Both representatives are members of the House Ways and Means Committee.
“College athletics have a long history of bringing people together, fostering competition, and teaching us what it means to represent something bigger than ourselves," Smith said in a statement. "Unfortunately, recent developments continue to put the values and traditions that make college sports unique at risk.
"I introduced my Fair Play Enforcement Act to ensure that colleges and universities uphold fair competition and preserve the values that have long defined college athletics for generations to come.”
The Fair Play Sports Enforcement Act will hold colleges accountable for their actions
The Fair Play Enforcement Act intends to hold colleges and universities accountable. It would call for schools to be punished for fielding athletes who violate the standards of collegiate competition. It would impact schools that use players who gamble on college sports. The legislation would also impose an excise tax penalty on a school fielding a player in a sanctioned competition who signed a contract with and was rostered by a professional sports team in the same sport in which the player subsequently competed at the collegiate level.
“College sports depend on honesty and fair play," Boyle said. "Schools should not be fielding players who have bet on games or who have been on professional sports teams.
"Our commonsense legislation creates a financial consequence for schools that cross that line. It helps protect the integrity of college athletics.”
Smith is anxious to hear the response from schools
If a school is found in violation, the legislation would impose an excise tax. That tax would be based on a percentage of the institution’s total gross athletic revenue. This would include, but not be limited to, ticket sales, media rights, conference and postseason distributions, sponsorships, licensing and merchandising, athletic donations, concessions, and other revenue attributable to the athletic program.
The bill would also put certain safeguards in place to protect the schools. Any implementation of punishment would require a final, documented determination from an appropriate governing body. That could be the NCAA. It would clearly indicate that the player violated the applicable prohibition before a penalty may be imposed.
The bill would also provide a safe harbor. This would occur when a court orders a school to roster or field a player who would otherwise be subject to the prohibition.
“I am proposing a tax be levied on a university that would be complicit with these athletes coming from their university that would be betting and ultimately insider trading,” Smith told News Channel Nebraska. “We just introduced the bill; I am eager to hear from various universities, happy to hear them out."
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