Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said Friday that illegal sports betting is a serious problem, and that it extends beyond just the recently reported cases involving student-athletes at Iowa and Iowa State.

“It’s becoming more widespread, as far as sports betting in that demo (between) 18 to 22 years old,” he said after the conference’s annual spring meetings wrapped up. “It’s something the conference takes very seriously, and we did address it during our (spring) meetings. It’s certainly an issue. It’s in the news.”

Yormark’s remarks during a Zoom conference call with reporters came just shy of a month after the athletics departments at Iowa State and Iowa announced that at least 41 athletes from the two schools may have violated NCAA rules that, according to the NCAA manual:

“Prohibit participation in sports wagering activities and from providing information to individuals involved in or associated with any type of sports wagering activities concerning intercollegiate, amateur or professional athletics competition.”