The Big Ten Conference Student-Athlete Issues Commission (SAIC) today sent a letter to NCAA President Charlie Baker urging the NCAA to continue pushing for limitations or the outright elimination of proposition (“prop”) betting involving individual student-athletes competing in college athletics.

The letter reinforces the Big Ten Conference’s unwavering commitment to protecting the well-being and safety of student-athletes across all 18 Big Ten campuses, and the integrity of intercollegiate athletics.

“The Big Ten Conference is proud to support our student-athletes in calling for the restriction or elimination of individual proposition wagers on college athletics,” said Big Ten Conference Commissioner Tony Petitti. “The Big Ten Conference appreciates the NCAA’s effort to eliminate these wagers and will continue to assist student-athletes as they deal with the challenges that result from proposition bets in college sports.”

President Baker recently sent letters to the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and to State Gambling Commissions calling for amended state laws and regulations to better-protect student-athletes.

“While we understand that sports betting is becoming increasingly more common across the country and allows for states to generate increased tax revenue, prop betting represents unique risks at the college level,” the Big Ten Conference Student-Athlete Issues Commission wrote. “We believe protecting student-athletes must be a priority. Limiting or eliminating prop betting on college athletics would be a meaningful step toward reducing harassment, protecting mental well-being, and preserving the integrity of college competition.”

The Big Ten Conference SAIC was founded in 1994. SAIC members take an active role in monthly meetings discussing the issues most important to Big Ten Conference student-athletes and highlighting ongoing initiatives on their respective campuses.

SAIC executive leadership members also represent Big Ten student-athletes in front of the Conference’s Joint Group council and represent the Big Ten Conference on the NCAA’s Division I Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, where they review NCAA activities, proposed legislation and offer feedback on behalf of the Big Ten’s student-athletes.  Student-athletes are nominated by their institution and appointed by the Conference’s Joint Group Executive Committee to serve on the commission for one academic year.