By the time the Supreme Court decided in May to allow states to legalize sports betting, the SEC had already spent several years preparing for that very possibility. In his opening comments Monday at SEC Football Kickoff Media Days, league commissioner Greg Sankey said the SEC has worked on the gambling issue since 2011 and for the last year consulted with the NFL, NBA, MLB and the PGA on the topic.
“For us, the integrity of our games is of the utmost importance,” Sankey said. “While it may be preferred to have no expansion of gambling activity, what is needed now is for our state and federal legislative leaders to enact policies that properly support the integrity of our games and provide the necessary protections for our students and our student-athletes.