Second State Has Now Halted All Betting On Alabama Baseball, As The NCAA, SEC And School Look Into 'Suspicious Activity'

The betting saga around Alabama baseball continued this week, as another state joined Ohio in halting betting on the team. According to a report, New Jersey has stopped legal wagering on the Crimson Tide, as it continues to gather details.

Ohio Casino Control Commission executive director Matthew T. Schuler issued a directive to all state-licensed sportsbooks on Monday. He called for sportsbooks to stop “the acceptance of any wagers on University of Alabama baseball effective immediately.” The report from ESPN said that it obtained a letter from the director outlining the details.

The bet in question was placed at the Great American Ballpark in Cincinnati, according to multiple reports.

It is legal to bet through apps in Ohio and New Jersey. On Wednesday night, SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey released a statement to OutKick on the ongoing investigation.

"We are aware of reports related to the suspension of wagering on Alabama baseball games,"Greg Sankey noted. "We will continue to monitor available information and any regulatory activity.

"As many states have acted to legalize sports gambling, we are reminded of the threats gambling may pose to competitive integrity.  Together with our member universities, we will continue to emphasize the importance of regulating, overseeing, and providing education related to sports gambling activity."

If you're wondering if this is rare, you'd be correct. In terms of the transaction, one report stated that it was because of a large amount of cash being placed on Alabama.

The ‘suspicious wagering activity’ comes after Alabama played LSU on Friday in Baton Rouge. Alabama was in a deep hole through the first six innings, as LSU led 8-1, but came up short after a rally, losing 8-6. There seems to be questions about the size of a bet on the Alabama money line, in a game that LSU was -245 money line favorites.

Alabama lost to LSU 12-8 on Saturday, followed by a 13-11 win Sunday. If someone placed a large amount of cash on Alabama to win, this would send up the red flag, along with where the bet was placed.

As a result, Alabama responded to the alleged gambling situation with a blanket statement on Wednesday.

"Alabama Athletics became aware of this situation Monday evening and is actively seeking information about the report," the school said.

NCAA Looking Into Alleged 'Suspicious Activity' Involving Alabama

How long this takes is up to those who are investigating the matter, but there could be other states who follow along with Ohio and New Jersey is this drags on. Also, New Jersey banning any type of betting on Alabama comes as the NCAA continues to gather more information on the matter.

“The NCAA takes sports wagering very seriously and is committed to the protection of student-athlete well-being and the integrity of competition,” according to the NCAA statement Tuesday. “We are aware of this issue and actively gathering additional information.”

A detail view of the Alabama Crimson Tide logo.

How long does this hang around? Alabama would love for this to go away, immediately. But, with another state following Ohio, we will have to wait for a report to be released. This should not take long, maybe a week, especially given the circumstances.

It's not hard for betting companies to track their players, or connections they may have. I would imagine this all goes away, soon enough. But, this will be a topic of discussion among fans and gamblers as tournament play draws closer.

Alabama plays Vanderbilt in a three-game series starting Thursday.