Iowa State University starting quarterback Hunter Dekkers and former defensive end Eyioma Uwazurike are among seven individuals charged with one count of tampering with records related to an Iowa sports betting probe.
A criminal complaint filed Tuesday by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation.alleges Dekkers, 22, wagered on a 2021 Iowa State football game against Oklahoma State, when he was the backup QB.
Dekkers was charged with tampering with IA sports betting records in an attempt to disguise his identity and will plead not guilty, per his attorney.
Uwazurike is also serving an indefinite suspension from the Denver Broncos for violating NFL betting policy.
Why Iowa State QB faces charges
The complaint alleges Dekkers and his parents engaged in a scheme “to disguise his identity and manipulate online/mobile transactions in order to create the appearance that sports wager transactions conducted by Dekkers were made by his mother.”
Dekkers, who started as a junior, could face up to two years in prison, as well as permanent college ineligibility, for his alleged crime. He will not participate in preseason workouts.
The NCAA recently updated its sports betting penalties, with governing body president Charlie Baker acknowledging 17 active investigations related to sports betting.
QB sports betting breakdown
Overall, Dekkers made 366 online sports betting wagers, totaling $2,799 from a DraftKings Sportsbook account.
Twenty-six of those wagers were allegedly on Iowa State sporting events.
He also made 297 of the 366 bets when he was under the legal wagering age of 21.
Uwazurike’s second betting probe
Uwazurike, 25, is accused of placing bets on two games he played in as a Cyclone in 2021.
He recently became the 10th NFL player suspended this year for violating the league’s sports betting policy.
Uwazurike placed 32 bets via FanDuel Sportsbook on five Broncos games from September to December last year. He faces a minimum one-year ban.
First news from Iowa probe
The Iowa DCI has been investigating 41 University of Iowa and Iowa State student-athletes for potential sports betting violations since May 8.
“The investigation is ongoing and may result in the filing of additional charges. No further information can be released at this time,” DCI said in a statement.
The charges were first reported by the Des Moines Register.
A spokesperson for Iowa State told LSR: “At this time, we are still gathering information and will have no comment at this time.”
Other Iowa State athletes involved
Iowa State wrestler Paniro Johnson, 20, and football player Dodge Sauser, 21, are also part of the probe.
Sauser allegedly made $3,075 in wagers from his DraftKings account, including 12 bets on Iowa State football games.
Johnson allegedly placed 1,283 bets, totaling $45,640 from his DraftKings account. He also made about 25 wagers on Iowa State sporting events.
Iowa football player also charged
Iowa kicker Aaron Blom, 21, allegedly placed an “under” prop bet for the 2021 Iowa vs. Iowa State football game.
Using a DraftKings account in his mother’s name, Blom made about 170 online sports bets before he was 21. His wagers totaled $4,440, with approximately eight bets on Iowa sporting events.
Iowa baseball player Gehrig Christensen, 20, also used a DraftKings account in his mom’s name, which she willingly allowed. He placed about 559 wagers (23 on Iowa sporting events, mostly NBA), totaling over $2,400.
Iowa basketball player Ahron Ulis, 21, made 1,850 wagers from a FanDuel account, 740 of which before he turned 21. The bets totaled $34,800, with at least one wager on an Iowa sporting event, and 430 bets on NCAA basketball and football games.
