AMES, Iowa — Four Iowa State athletes and three University of Iowa athletes have been charged with Tampering With Records for allegedly using accounts under other people's names to bet on college sports while underage.
Who is involved in the sports betting scandal?
According to court documents, Iowa State quarterback Hunter Dekkers, wrestler Paniro Johnson, football offensive lineman Dodge Sauser and former Cyclone football player Eyioma Uwazurike all concealed their true identities in order to place bets. University of Iowa baseball player Gehrig Christensen is also facing the same charge.
Aaron Blom, a Hawkeye kicker, allegedly placed 170 sports bets before turning 21, with over $4,400 wagered. That includes "approximately 8 wagers placed on University of Iowa sporting events, including one 'under total points' sports wager on the 2021 Iowa vs. Iowa State football game," a criminal complaint states.
State law requires anyone betting on sports to be at least 21 years old.
Iowa's Christensen used his a family member's identity to register on DraftKings and placed nearly 560 bets using her information, 23 of which were University of Iowa sporting events. The wagers totaled more than $2,400 and the family member said he bet with "her consent and knowledge".
"These charges stem from an extensive investigation by the DCI," said Johnson County attorney Rachel Zimmermann Smith. "The investigation is ongoing, and we are committed to ensuring a thorough and fair process."
Johnson allegedly placed 1,283 wagers, totaling $45,640, using someone else's name. Of those bets, the sophomore Cyclone wrestler gambled on approximately 25 ISU sporting events.
Sauser, who was red-shirted during the 2021-2022 football season but on the field for 2022-2023, used a family member's name to place nearly 113 bets. His gambling totaled just over $3,000, and a dozen of the games bet on involved the ISU football team, including 2022 games against Ohio, West Virginia, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech.
Dekkers, who has been a Cyclone since 2020, allegedly placed 26 bets on ISU sporting events, including at least one football game. Court documents claim he disguised his identity by using a DraftKings account under the names of two relatives.
His nearly 370 total bets add up to "over $2,799" and were placed from his cellphone on Iowa State's campus.
The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission said in a statement that "it does not currently have any information that would call into question the integrity of any sports wagering contest or event involving the University of Iowa or Iowa State University."
Iowa State Athletics Director issued the following statement on Wednesday:
“Since becoming aware of potential NCAA eligibility issues related to sports wagering by several of our student-athletes in May, Iowa State University has been actively working to address these issues with the involved student-athletes. This process is ongoing and will take time before being completely resolved.
Iowa State cannot comment on any student-athletes’ circumstance or eligibility status. We will, however, continue to support our student-athletes as our compliance staff works with the NCAA to sort out questions surrounding their future eligibility for intercollegiate athletics competition.
Iowa State Athletics educates its student-athletes, coaches and staff on NCAA rules and State of Iowa law surrounding sports wagering and will continue to emphasize the importance of understanding and adhering to these regulations moving forward.”
The charges comes amid a statewide investigation into betting at the University of Iowa and ISU conducted by the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation.
Ahron Ulis, a former Iowa basketball player who transferred to Nebraska, is accused of placing nearly $35,000 in sports bets before turning 21, including 430 on NCAA basketball and football games and "at least one wager placed on a University of Iowa sporting event," court documents show.
Current Denver Bronco defensive lineman Eyioma Uwazurike was on the Cyclones football team from 2016-2022. Allegedly, Uwazurike posed as someone else on FanDuel and completed just over 800 wagers totaling $21,361. Of those games, four were placed on ISU events — two of which he played in. He's also currently suspended from the NFL's 2023 season for betting on sports.
Violating the NCAA's rules against sports betting could result in a permanent loss of eligibility for the current college players.
Lee Sterling, a sports-betting expert and host of the "Locked On Bets" podcast, said that college athletes learn about what they can and can't do when they first arrive on campus.
"Before your first day of practice, they have someone come into the room, and they explain to you all the do's and don'ts," Sterling said. "And one of them is, and this dates back to even the early 80s when I played ... Do not gamble on anything as far as collegiate sports."
What punishments could the athletes face?
Tampering With Records is an aggravated misdemeanor, which carries a possible penalty of up to two years in prison and fine ranging from $855 to $8,540 in Iowa.
The athletes could also be subjected to a $645 fine for underage gambling.
When it comes to punishments handed down by the NCAA, new guidelines for sports betting violations were just released in June and apply to any violation reported on or after May 2, 2023.
The most severe punishment possible under these new guidelines is a permeant loss of collegiate eligibility in all sports.
This would apply to athletes who:
- Influence the outcomes of their own games for betting purposes
- Knowingly provide information to individuals involved in sports betting activities
- Bet on their own games or on other sports at their own schools
Court records show that all of the seven athletes charged bet on sporting events at their own school, and four bet on their own games.
Punishments also depend on how much was wagered. If an athlete's collective total of wagers is more than $800, then they would have to sit out for 30% of the season and receive rules and prevention education.
However, athletes can also face a permanent ban if their total betting activity greatly exceeds $800.
It would be up to the NCAA reinstatement staff to decide if and how much additional loss of eligibility is warranted in that case.
The wagering totals for each athlete charged did in fact exceed $800 and ranged from $2,400 to $45,640.
The NCAA's investigation is still ongoing, but based on these new guidelines, a permanent ban from playing college sports is the likely punishment that will be handed down.