More NCAA Schools Open to Gambling Ads

USA Today featured an interesting article on Thursday related to how the NCAA and colleges in general were beginning to really push the envelope when it comes to sports marketing.  In particular, the piece discussed how schools were no longer so quick to distance themselves from gambling interests.

Here is an excerpt from that article that was of most interest to Gambling911.com readers:

"The NCAA has long sought to distance itself and schools from gambling interests. That line is blurring, however, as legalized gambling spreads and more schools are open to gaming advertising.

"Five schools in the Pacific-10 Conference - Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon, Oregon State and Washington State - accept casino ads that show up in stadium and arena signage or game programs, according to league spokesman Jim Muldoon.

"While the NCAA won't accept advertising from "organizations or companies primarily involved in gambling or gaming businessactivities," it hasn't barred its schools from doing so.

"Rachel Newman Baker, NCAA director of agent, gambling and amateurism activities, nonetheless was on record as discouraging institutions' partnerships with "gambling interests" as recently as two years ago.

"The NCAA has softened that stance. "We continue to be stridently opposed to any type of sports wagering," spokesman Erik Christianson says via e-mail.

""But we have come to understand that there are differing perspectives within the membership about commercial activities, including the appropriateness of accepting casino advertising. What some institutions may see as acceptable, others may not.""