St. Joseph’s University in eastern Pennsylvania last week became the second Philadelphia-area school to issue a statement banning sports wagering by students, faculty and staff. Last fall, Villanova University issued a similar ban.
The moves are viewed as largely symbolic. Short of snitching or an expose of some larger match-fixing scheme, there’s no way to detect if students or staff place wagers, particularly since most of Pennsylvania’s sports bets are made online.
The St. Joe’s ban goes further than Villanova’s, which was limited to games involving any of the university’s teams. The new edict bans St. Joe’s students and staff from wagering on any sports.
The university’s student newspaper, The Hawk, admitted that the ban will be difficult if not impossible to enforce. “Admittedly, detecting gambling is one of the challenges administrators will face,” Vice President and Associate Provost of Student Life Cary Anderson told the student publication, noting that the school is relying on the honor system and word of mouth.
Director of Athletics Jill Bodensteiner told student journalist Ryan Mulligan that the university would “enforce it when it comes to our attention.”
