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New rule would bar Iowa regents from betting on their teams

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November 5th, 2019 by Ric Hanson

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Members and employees of the governing board for Iowa’s public universities could soon be barred from gambling on the college teams they help oversee.
A policy proposed by the Board of Regents would bar board members and staff from betting on games involving the Iowa Hawkeyes, the Iowa State Cyclones or the University of Northern Iowa Panthers. The board will consider adopting the policy at its meeting next week in Cedar Falls.

A summary says the goal is to “remove any question of a potential conflict of interest” now that sports wagering has been legalized in Iowa. The prohibition would apply to both in-state and out-of-state casinos and would also bar regents from providing any non-public information to others making bets. Fantasy sports contests would be excluded.