SEC’s Sankey Issues Statement As States Halt Betting on Alabama Baseball

As the questions surrounding wagering on Alabama baseball continue, the SEC commissioner formally addressed the matter for the first time.

New Jersey and Ohio have both issued emergency orders to ban sports gamblers from placing wagers on games involving Alabama baseball, and now the Southeastern Conference has addressed the controversy that involves a member institution.

SEC commissioner Greg Sankey released a statement regarding the ongoing suspension of wagering for Alabama baseball.

“We are aware of reports related to the suspension of wagering Alabama baseball games,” Sankey said Wednesday night. “We will continue to monitor available information and any regulatory activity. As many states have acted to legalize sports gambling, we are reminded of the threats gambling may pose on competitive integrity. Together with our member universities, we will continue to emphasize the importance of regulating, overseeing and providing education related to sports gambling activity.”

Earlier this week, Matthew T. Schuler, the executive director of the Ohio Casino Control Commission, formally issued the ban of wagering on Crimson Tide baseball games after reportedly receiving information about bets made on Friday’s game against LSU. The information came from one of the commission’s certified independent integrity monitors. Alabama lost the game 8–6.

The state of Ohio defines suspicious sports gaming activity as “unusual sports gaming activity that cannot be explained and is indicative of any of the following: match fixing, the manipulation of a sport, misuse of inside information, a potential breach of a sports governing body’s internal rules or code of conduct pertaining to sports gaming, any other conduct that corrupts the outcome of a sport and any other prohibited activity.”

While Ohio and New Jersey have issued emergency orders banning wagers on Alabama games, other states have been monitoring the situation closely as well. Colorado has not taken action yet but told the Tuscaloosa News that it’s monitoring it, while Connecticut has not issued an official ban, but its three licensed sports betting sites (FanDuel, DraftKings, PlaySugarHouse) have removed betting on Alabama games.