A man looks at his ticket after placing a bet at the Caesars Sportsbook betting window at Chase Field in Phoenix on the first day of sports betting on September 9, 2021. Chase Field is the first major league stadium to have sports betting.

Since sports gambling became widely legal around the country, the NCAA has been fighting an uphill battle as it looks to keep betting out of collegiate athletics.

It has severely punished any player, coach or staffer caught placing wagers on any event, college or professional, in an attempt to discourage them from participating in legal online sports betting. However, it seems those restrictions could soon be loosened.

On Wednesday, the NCAA Division I Administrative Committee approved a motion that would allow both players and staff to place bets on professional sporting events. The proposal still needs to be adopted by the Division II and Division III committees, but if approved, it would take effect on Nov. 1.

Betting on collegiate events of any kind or providing any insider information to another bettor remains prohibited, as does the association of sports gambling advertisers and sponsorships during NCAA championship events.

The administrative council emphasized that the decision is not an endorsement of sports gambling but rather a reckoning with ineffectual abstinence-based gambling policy while also encouraging student-athletes who may have a gambling problem to come forward without fear of repercussions for betting on professional sports.

It's a major 180 when it comes to the NCAA gambling policy, and if approved by the lower divisions, it would open the door for quite a bit of sports betting that was previously prohibited.

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This article originally appeared on College Sports Wire: NCAA makes 180 on gambling rules, allows Division I athletes to bet on professional sports

Reporting by Tyler Nettuno, College Sports Wire / College Sports Wire

USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect