State of Play’s TL;DR
- Mississippi State says two football players violated NCAA gambling rules.
- They reportedly placed sports wagers through Kalshi.
Mississippi State disclosed that two football players violated NCAA gambling rules after placing small sports wagers through Kalshi on the Super Bowl and NBA All-Star weekend.
The cases were handled as Level III violations, with penalties limited to rules education and a charity payment in one instance.
The report is notable because it involves Kalshi, a legal prediction market in Mississippi, rather than a traditional sportsbook. Mississippi does not allow apps such as FanDuel or DraftKings for statewide mobile sports betting, but the NCAA’s ban on athlete sports wagering still applies regardless of platform.
Two football players admitted to bets
According to Mississippi State’s disclosure, ProhiBet alerted the school on Feb. 8 that an athlete had placed a Super Bowl wager. That player later met with compliance staff on Feb. 17, admitted to making a $50 bet on Kalshi, and received rules education with no further penalties.
A second alert came on Feb. 15 involving NBA All-Star weekend. Mississippi State said a football player admitted on Feb. 17 to making two $10 wagers on Kalshi. That player was required to make a $66.47 payment to a charity of his choice and also received rules education.
One of the bets reportedly won $64 on the 3-point contest.
The school classified both matters as Level III violations, the lowest tier commonly reported by the NCAA. Both players told the school those wagers were the only sports gambling they had done.
Other violations in Mississippi State’s report
Mississippi State also disclosed a football violation involving an assistant coach who co-signed an apartment lease for a player. The coach said the player needed a co-signer as an international student and the apartment complex would not accept a parent.
In men’s track and field, the school said staff impermissibly paid for two meals for a recruit’s girlfriend during an official visit. The coaching staff received a one-week recruiting ban starting Jan. 21, and the recruit was ruled ineligible until he repaid $55.64. The SEC also warned that harsher penalties would follow if a similar violation happens again.
Based on reporting by Sam Sklar for the Clarion Ledger.