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ISU QB Dekkers accused of betting on Cyclone sports

News, Sports

August 2nd, 2023 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa State University quarterback Hunter Dekkers has been accused of betting on one I-S-U football game and 25 other Cyclone sporting events. Dekkers was last season’s starting quarterback for the Cyclones and expected to be the starter this coming season. The Des Moines Register was first to report that the Story County Attorney’s Office has filed a criminal complaint charging Dekkers with tampering with records by trying to conceal his identity in electronic sports wagering records.

The complaint accuses Dekker’s parents of engaging in a scheme to make it look like the bets were coming from Dekker’s mother. The document alleges Dekkers used a DraftKings account to place 366 bets and 80 percent of those wagers were made when Dekkers had not reached the legal gambling age of 21. The I-S-U football game Dekkers is accused of betting on was against Oklahoma State in 2021. Dekkers was the back-up quarterback and did not play. Under N-C-Double-A rules, college athletes caught betting on games that involve their own teams face a lifetime ban from college sports.

Two other I-S-U athletes — both sophomores — face a similar charge of tampering with records related to sports gambling. One is on the Cyclone wrestling team. The other is an offensive lineman who’s accused of placing a dozen bets on I-S-U football games. This spring, Iowa State announced approximately 15 students on the university’s football, wrestling and track teams were suspected of violating N-C-Double-A rules by betting on sports.

The University of Iowa also announced 26 students on Hawkeye football, basketball, baseball, wrestling and track teams were suspected of alleged gambling violations. A lawyer representing Dekkers released a statement saying: “Hunter Dekkers denies the criminal charge brought against him. He will plead not guilty to that charge because he is in fact not guilty of that charge.”