Former Iowa baseball player Gehrig Christensen accused of tampering with sports gambling records

Gehrig Christensen, formerly of the Iowa Hawkeyes baseball team, has found himself in hot water in relation to document tampering in a gambling violation case.

The Johnson County Attorney's office recently filed criminal charges against Christensen for tampering with documents involved in the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation’s examination into gambling activities.

Christensen allegedly operated a deceptive "scheme" where he and his mother would place bets on the outcome of games online and via mobile transactions to hide his identity. The total value of transactions is believed to be $2,400.

The bets were traced back to Christensen's phone, which indicated that they were placed within his university dorm room and places within the campus not open to the public.

He is accused of operating a DraftKings online gambling account under his mother's name to place up to 559 underage bets. These included 23 bets on the University of Iowa sporting events where he attended school.

Gehrig Christensen's mother allegedly set up the account and gave the go-ahead for the betting activity. She called the whole matter "a silly mistake."

Due to its nature as an aggravated misdemeanor, Christensen could be sentenced to two years in prison if convicted or a maximum of one year in county jail if found guilty.

The court documents allege that between Nov. 7, 2022, to Feb. 7, 2023, while he was still a member of the Iowa baseball team, Gehrig “knowingly and intentionally falsified personal electronic sports wagering records.”

According to court documents, Gehrig Christensen has said that he mostly bet on NBA games. In Iowa, the legal age allowed to gamble is 21, and he doesn't turn that age until next year.

On June 8, Christensen announced his retirement from baseball on his Instagram account. He would be banned from playing in NCAA competitions if found guilty.

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Gehrig Christensen and college's gambling problem

The Iowa baseball team came under investigation by the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission in May for possible gambling violations. It all began with Iowa suspending a few baseball players for breaking gambling rules.

The issue of gambling in college sports is sensitive since a federal ban was lifted in 2018, allowing it to grow into a multi-billion dollar industry.

The University of Alabama's baseball team was also in the news for breaking gambling rules. The Crimson Tide coach Brad Bohannon was let go because of that scandal.

Gehrig Christensen will likely not be the last student-athlete accused of violating NCAA gambling laws, but his career is probably over before it has really begun because of it.