A Tennessee student worker crossed a line during the 2025 football season, without realizing how far the effects would ripple. He took part in a routine bet, and this is something he had done plenty of times around NFL, NBA, and college football games. However, this time he fell into big trouble because this time it involved his own team. Complicating matters for the program was the fact that this wasn’t an isolated incident; six other violations also came to light.’

According to Knox News’ Adam Sparks, the student was dismissed from Tennessee’s media team after betting through an online app in the 2025 season. The game was not identified, but the bet was placed for an October game. That means it was either the Arkansas, Kentucky, or Alabama clash. The incident was one of the six violations Tennessee reported in the latter half of 2025. The others were clerical errors, an unsanctioned team workout, and an inadvertent contact with the recruits, all standard compliance issues that athletic departments report regularly.

These are classified as a Level III violation, which is defined as a “minor breach.” Given their low classification, the outcome is a mild penalty like the one imposed on the student worker. That was partly due to the NCAA’s own uncertainty surrounding betting rules. 

This year, the NCAA decided to allow individuals from athletics departments to place bets on professional sports. This was done because sports betting had been legalized in many states, and preventing athletes from betting didn’t make sense. This rule came into effect on November 1, 2025. However, a betting scandal involving basketball players from Arizona State, Mississippi Valley, and the University of New Orleans forced the NCAA to propose that the rule be rescinded. The rule was ultimately repealed on 21 November.

The violation has come up as the program was already dealing with a bigger NCAA tension involving quarterback Joey Aguilar’s lawsuit. It’s surrounding him, looking for another year of eligibility. 

Betting on college sports, however, remains a serious violation. Oklahoma QB John Mateer was mistakenly caught in a sports betting controversy in August last year, but faced harsh punishments, such as being suspended from games. The six basketball players who were mentioned in the above controversy had their eligibility revoked.

The accused UT student, worker, however, got some more leeway because of the app he used to place his wager on.

Why the growth of Kalshi is blurring the lines in sports betting

Advancements in tech are not always for the greater good. Sports betting is banned in states, yet “prediction market” apps like Kalshi continue to propagate the practice. The Tennessee student worker placed his bet on this platform as well. But the grey area that it operates under also helped water down his punishment.

Unlike sportsbook platforms, Kalshi offers users “yes” or “no” contracts on the outcomes of real-world events, including sports. Winning contract awards users $1, while Kalshi makes money out of transaction fees, instead of the actual bet itself. When looked at from multiple perspectives, it is essentially gambling in disguise.

Unlike traditional sports betting, where participants wager against the house, people bet against each other on Kalshi. The platform tried to get into the college sports arena with the concept of whether or not particular athletes would enter the transfer portal. NCAA President Charlie Baker immediately condemned the move. He argued that the move would hurt student athletes who “face harassment and abuse for lost bets on game performance.” Eventually, Kalshi backed out of that plan.

Incidents of sports betting continue to be reported in college sports, though the NCAA educates student-athletes about them. With platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket that continue to take advantage of muddy areas like this, the NCAA’s fight to curb sports betting will not be made easy.