Sports Betting Is Now a Fixture in College Athletics
By Carter Quinn
Last Updated on July 21, 2026
Betting on college sports has moved out of the shadows and into the spotlight. Since the Supreme Court struck down PASPA in 2018, legal wagering has expanded from a handful of states to most of the country. What started as a novelty for a few operators is now a multi-billion-dollar industry with college football and basketball consistently ranking among the top sports wagered.
The Explosive Growth
Roughly one in five U.S. adults placed a legal sports bet last year, a number that is rising every year. No longer do you have to trek out to Vegas. More than 80 percent of those bets were made through mobile apps. More than 80 percent of that action now runs through mobile apps, fueling a wave of odds-comparison tools like sports betting sites for fans shopping lines before they wager.
For athletic departments, that shift matters. Those bets are being placed on the phone in student sections, in the tailgating lots, and in living rooms across the country every Saturday.
Growth has slowed from the triple-digit swings of the early legalization years, but the market has not plateaued. Instead, this is the new normal.
Betting interest in college sports is not a passing trend. It’s here to stay.
What This Means for Athletic Departments
So what does this mean for athletic administrators?
Compliance exposure has grown. States have taken different approaches to college-specific markets, with several banning prop bets tied to individual college athletes. Departments need to know which restrictions apply in their state and communicate them clearly to coaches, staff, and rosters.
Conferences and third-party vendors increasingly flag unusual betting activity around college games. Athletic departments that treat this as a compliance function, rather than a reactive one, are better positioned when a flag comes in.
In addition, fan engagement strategy has shifted whether departments like it or not. Betting interest drives attention, second-screen behavior, and in some cases, ticket and merchandise decisions. Departments building fan engagement plans without accounting for it are missing opportunities.
Striking a Balance
None of this requires an athletic department to promote wagering. However, it does require understanding the ecosystem so you can manage risks and protect athletes.
The programs that get ahead of this treat betting growth the way they treat NIL or realignment: as a business reality that touches compliance, communications, and fan relations at once. The ones that ignore it are managing risk they can’t see.
