State gaming regulators in multiple states have launched investigations into Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby’s alleged betting activity, regulatory officials told ESPN.
The Indiana Gaming Commission (IGC) and Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) are investigating Sorsby, who played at Indiana and Cincinnati before transferring to Texas Tech this offseason. Officials for the IGC and a spokesperson for the OCCC confirmed the investigations to ESPN but declined to provide further details.
Kentucky Horse Racing & Gaming told ESPN it is aware of the case and is working with the NCAA, which has opened its own investigation into Sorsby’s alleged betting, and is reviewing the situation with its licensees.
On April 27, Texas Tech announced that Sorsby was entering a rehabilitation facility for a gambling addiction. He has hired prominent attorney Jeffrey Kessler to help him try to retain his college eligibility, ESPN reported.
Kessler declined comment when reached by ESPN.
Sorsby had accounts with sportsbooks and daily fantasy operators in several states, according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the matter, who described him as a high-volume, low-stakes bettor, meaning he placed many wagers for small amounts. Some of his bets were placed using an account under a different name, multiple sources said.
ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported that Sorsby bet on an Indiana game during his freshman season as a Hoosiers quarterback.
The NCAA prohibits student-athletes from betting on any NCAA-sanctioned sport, professional or collegiate. Penalties can include permanent ineligibility, especially in cases where athletes wagered on their own team or manipulated their performance.
The NCAA does not have subpoena power and cannot compel student-athletes to participate in investigations, but works with a network of contacts, including sportsbooks, regulators and integrity monitors. Failure to cooperate with an investigation can result in penalties.
In 2023, former Iowa State quarterback Hunter Dekkers was ruled ineligible by the NCAA after a criminal investigation revealed he had wagered on at least one game involving the Cyclones.
State gaming regulators, which oversee licensed sportsbooks, can ban bettors, fine operators for violations and refer investigations to law enforcement. In 2023, Ohio gaming regulators banned former University of Alabama baseball coach Brad Bohannon and bettor Bert Neff from using the state’s casinos and sportsbooks after the two were involved in an alleged inside information scheme on a Crimson Tide game against LSU from earlier that year. Indiana gaming regulators also banned Neff from using the state’s sportsbooks and casinos.
