Idaho Sports Betting Stance Is Crystal Clear

Updates on the future of Idaho sports betting are by and large hard to find. This is not an accident. Instead, it is evidence of the general stance on sports betting in Idaho. That stance: The Gem State has zero desire to legalize it.

Idaho’s actions speak for themselves. Or rather, we should say, inactions. Ever since the Supreme Court of the United States overturned the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act back in 2018, we have seen absolutely no movement on betting legislation in The Gem State. There have barely even been whispers of interest in legalization, or about the state’s overall stance on the issue shifting.

That leaves us to scour the landscape for signs on where Idaho stands. Failing direct comments on the matter, this usually means spotlighting coverage of sports betting from local outlets. They have an excellent pulse on the market’s audience. And while regional papers and blogs are not agenda-driven, selected subject matter can clue us into wider-spread principles.

This brings us to the latest “update” for Idaho sports betting. A recent news story on a national sports betting scandal may suggest that The Gem State’s stance on the gambling industry is…the same as it ever was.

College Basketball Betting Scandal Receives Attention from Idaho Outlet

East Idaho News recently picked up an Associated Press story about a scandal pertaining to betting on college basketball. Before we get to the implications of this coverage, here are the details of the scandal in question:

“One of the college basketball players banned by the NCAA for participating in sports-betting operations has acknowledged his role in a gambling scheme. Former University of New Orleans guard Dae Dae Hunter said on ABC’s ‘Good Morning America’ that he participated in point-shaving. ‘I did go out there and not do my best: basically shooting the ball and not actually trying to make it,’ Hunter said on the show, which aired Monday. ‘I just had a child. The school wasn’t paying me, so I was trying to get money to actually take care of my child.’

“Hunter and two New Orleans teammates are among six players who had their eligibility revoked by the NCAA after an investigation. The Committee on Infractions found that Hunter, Dyquavian Short and Jamond Vincent, Arizona State’s Chatton ‘BJ’ Freeman and Mississippi Valley State’s Donovan Sanders and Alvin Stredic either manipulated their performances to lose games, not cover bet lines or ensure certain prop bets were reached, or provided information that enabled others to do so during the 2024-25 regular season. The NCAA said in October it was investigating at least 30 current or former players for gambling allegations. The violations at New Orleans against Hunter, Short and Vincent came to light after the organization received a tip about game manipulation.”

This is notable precisely because it has nothing directly to do with Idaho sports betting. None of the players or schools are located in The Gem State. As far as we know, Idaho sports teams were not among the opponents of the games under investigation.

These Scandals Highlight Idaho Sports Betting Concerns

None of this is to say that national stories are not of local public interest. This is more about sports betting in the United States news cycle highlighting Idaho’s core concerns with legalized gambling. And these concerns are not unique to The Gem State.

Every state is worried about an uptick in game-manipulation as the result of legalized sports betting. This includes markets that have already greenlit gambling. Select states such as Ohio and Massachusetts have proposed legislation in an attempt to keep some of the ill effects at bay. These initiatives typically target prop bets. Those wagers are the most easy for a singular player to impact.

This angle has no doubt come up during the almost-nonexistent Idaho sports betting talks over the years. Officials have to worry about the impact legalization could have on collegiate athletes. The temptation for point-shave could prove alluring for those who do not have the profile to capitalize on their naming, imaging and likeness.

Other Concerns Come From Legal Sports Betting

To be sure, we are not assigning a specific comment on the matter to officials who’d be charged with the fate of Idaho sports betting. But you better believe people clock scandals like this. And every time a new one comes to light, it arguably brings Idaho even further away from legal sports betting. It gets harder to justify policy overhaul if you don’t believe a regulated market is actually safe.

This says nothing about enduring concerns for consumers themselves. Multiple studies have shown that the legalization of sports betting has an adverse impact on gambling addiction and even financial profiles. These findings vary by demographic and even geographical locations. But the data does little to persuade hard-line states such as Idaho to deviate from their philosophical, if not moral, tenets.

The case of Idaho sports betting is no different. Barring a material change in the way that the entire industry operates, we would be surprised to see any movement in The Gem State.

And just so we are clear: We are not only talking about imminent movement. We are talking about any movement whatsoever, period.

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