A total of 175 sports betting infractions have been discovered within the NCAA since 2018 ©Getty Images

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) has found 175 infractions of its sports-betting policy since 2018 and there are 17 active investigations.

NCAA President Charlie Baker included the numbers in a letter sent this week in response to a query from Rep. Dina Titus, a Democrat from Nevada whose district includes the Strip in Las Vegas, The Associated Press reports.

The NCAA does not release details of active investigations and Baker's letter does not list any schools or athletes.

The NCAA told the AP in an email that less than 0.25 per cent of its approximately 13,000 sporting events "are flagged for suspicious betting patterns, and a much smaller percentage have specific, actionable information".

The NCAA has not released the details of the active investigations ©Getty Images
The NCAA has not released the details of the active investigations ©Getty Images

In Baker’s letter to Titus he says athletes, coaches and administrators committed violations ranging from $5 (£3.80/€4.5) wagers to "providing inside information" and that the active investigations have a similar span in severity.

There have been some notable cases that went public.

Alabama baseball coach Brad Bohannon was fired in May because of suspicious betting activity involving his team, and Iowa and Iowa State announced a combined total of 41 athletes were suspected to have broken betting rules.

The NCAA, in common with many college conferences, pays a company to look for and flag potential betting policy infractions.

Legal sports betting has spread widely across the United States over the past five years, raising the likelihood of a college sports gambling scandal.

NCAA rules against gambling by athletes remain strict, though they were recently adjusted to recognise "mitigating factors" when it comes to penalising "young people who have made mistakes".

NCAA rules against gambling by athletes remain strict, though they were recently adjusted to recognise "mitigating factors" when it comes to penalising "young people who have made mistakes" ©Getty Images
NCAA rules against gambling by athletes remain strict, though they were recently adjusted to recognise "mitigating factors" when it comes to penalising "young people who have made mistakes" ©Getty Images

The NCAA is emphasising educating athletic departments about the risks involved and Baker said the safety and mental health of the organisation's more than 500,000 student-athletes were paramount.

"I appreciate Congress' increased attention to the topic of sports betting," Baker wrote.

"I agree with you that in addition to the opportunities it creates, sports betting brings risk that could undermine the integrity of competition."

Titus, in a statement to AP, thanked Baker for the information he provided, adding that she had also written letters to the major professional sports leagues.

"This kind of transparency is crucial for the integrity of the game and success of legal sports betting," Titus said.

"Now that we have answers from the NCAA, I need to hear from professional sports leagues about their efforts to protect players and the public from illegal activities."