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Tennessee lawmakers are moving toward tighter limits on where mobile sports betting can operate, with college campuses now at the center of the discussion. Proposed legislation would redraw access boundaries for wagering apps as concerns around college sports integrity continue to rise.
Good to Know
Legislation advancing in Tennessee would restrict mobile sports betting access across public college campuses and nearby residential areas. House Bill 1768 and Senate Bill 1831 aim to prevent interactive sports wagering within defined campus zones tied to public higher education institutions.
Representative John Ray Clemmons filed the House bill, while Senator Jeff Yarbro introduced the Senate version. Both measures target betting activity conducted through licensed mobile sportsbook apps, the only legal sports betting format allowed under Tennessee law.
If enacted, students and visitors would lose the ability to place legal bets while physically located on campus or within nearby housing areas linked to the institution.
The proposed language extends beyond traditional campus boundaries. Lawmakers defined restricted zones to include main contiguous campus property as well as non contiguous or satellite properties used for student housing or shared student purposes.
The restriction would apply to properties located within a one mile radius of the main campus. Facilities used solely for classrooms, administrative offices, or storage fall outside the scope of the restriction.
Universities potentially affected include the University of Tennessee, Belmont University, and Middle Tennessee State University, among other public institutions across the state.
The bills also address wagering access at sports venues hosting college events. Under the proposed rules, licensed sportsbook operators would need to block mobile betting access at those venues for the entire calendar day when a college sporting event takes place.
The provision applies regardless of whether the venue sits on campus property, effectively creating event based betting blackout periods tied to college games.
Momentum behind the legislation accelerated following a major betting scandal involving NCAA Division I men basketball programs. Federal indictments named more than two dozen individuals connected to a point shaving scheme affecting games across 17 Division I teams and contests in the Chinese Basketball Association.
The situation reignited concerns around legalized betting influence on college athletes and game integrity, prompting renewed attention from lawmakers and regulators.
NCAA President Charlie Baker has reiterated the association position against college prop bets. After details of the betting scheme surfaced, Baker contacted state gambling regulators to push for broader restrictions on player specific wagers.
Some discussions also included removing first half over under bets tied to college games. Tennessee already prohibits college prop bets, placing it among 13 jurisdictions with similar restrictions.
Several states, including New Jersey, Connecticut, and Illinois, also limit wagering on in state college teams, reflecting a wider national trend toward tighter college betting controls.
Efforts to loosen betting rules at the national level have recently stalled. A proposed NCAA rule change that would have allowed student athletes to place legal bets on professional sports was withdrawn after objections from lawmakers and NCAA officials.
The reversal highlighted ongoing concern about the intersection of sports betting access and athlete behavior.
Alongside campus betting legislation, Tennessee lawmakers have introduced a separate proposal aimed at banning sweepstakes casinos statewide. House Bill 1885, introduced by Representative Scott Cepicky, seeks to classify sweepstakes style casino platforms as illegal online gambling.
The bill targets sites that offer casino style games using virtual currency systems and would place such operations under the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act of 1977 if passed.