TLDR Representatives Adrian Smith and Brendan Boyle introduced the Fair Play Enforcement Act this month. The bill would fine colleges that field athletes who bet on college sports or played that sport professionally. Fines start at 5% of a school’s gross athletics receipts and rise to 10%, then 20%, for repeat violations. Penn State could face almost $13 million for a first offense. The bill does not say whether prediction market trades count as wagers.
Two members of Congress have introduced a bill that would fine colleges for fielding athletes who have bet on college sports. The bill would also penalize schools that roster athletes who previously played the same sport professionally.
Representatives Adrian Smith, a Republican from Nebraska, and Brendan Boyle, a Democrat from Pennsylvania, introduced the Fair Play Enforcement Act earlier this month. The bill was prompted by a recent scandal involving LSU.
The lawmakers say the bill would hold colleges accountable for fielding athletes who break established standards of fair competition.
“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.”
Smith said recent developments put the values and traditions that make college sports unique at risk.
How the Fines Would Work
The bill would require athletic departments to carefully vet incoming freshmen and transfer students before letting them compete. Schools that “knew or reasonably should have known” they fielded a banned athlete would face a federal excise tax.
A first violation would cost a school 5% of its gross athletics receipts. The fine rises to 10% for a second violation and 20% for any violation after that.
For a large program like Penn State, a first offense could cost almost $13 million. A second