One day last spring, Isaiah Lee, a defensive lineman for Iowa State University, got a visit from a state police investigator who wanted to talk about something on a lot of fans’ minds: sports betting.
Like many young Americans, Lee had begun wagering on games lately. He was old enough to legally gamble in Iowa, but the NCAA bars athletes from sports betting, with strict penalties for violations that range from mandatory training (for any bet at all) to an outright ban (for wagering on their own team).
Mark Ludwick, the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigations agent, told Lee he was working on a case focused “solely on gaming operators” such as DraftKings and FanDuel, according to a motion filed by defense attorneys summarizing Ludwick’s deposition for the case.
