Iowa State QB Hunter Dekkers accused of betting on sporting events, faces possible permanent ban

A criminal complaint accusing Iowa State quarterback Hunter Dekkers of gambling violations has led to the young prospect being charged with records tampering on Tuesday.

Dekkers allegedly placed 26 bets in matches involving various Iowa State sports. The Story County Attorney's office filed the criminal charges.

Dekkers is accused of using his DraftKings betting account to place 366 total wagers totaling $2,799.

Although the 26 exact bets he placed on Iowa State games were not specified, it is alleged that he placed one in 2021 when Iowa State played and beat Oklahoma State. In that game, Hunter Dekkers was the backup quarterback to Brock Purdy.

The charge further alleges that Dekkers was helped by his mother to keep his identity a secret when placing the wagers. The bets were traced to his phone, which he used while on campus.

The court documents allege that 297 of the 366 bets were placed while Dekkers was underage, with the legally allowed age for gambling being 21 in Iowa.

In addition, Hunter Dekkers is facing charges of tampering with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation’s examination into gambling offenses. If found guilty, Dekkers could be stripped of his NCAA eligibility permanently.

Hunter Dekkers, through his attorney, denied all the charges leveled against him:

"This charge attempts to criminalize a daily fact of American life. Millions of people share online accounts of all kinds every day. This prosecution interferes with and politicizes what is the business of Iowa State University and the NCAA. The investigation at the Iowa universities is the tip of an iceberg."

The statement continues arguing for the dismissal of the charges since they don't involve breaking actual laws:

"Thousands and thousands of college athletes place bets — usually very small ones — with shared accounts. That is for the schools and the NCAA to police ... So he can focus on his studies and on the defense of this criminal charge, Hunter has informed the University and the coaching staff that he cannot participate in fall football camp."

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Hunter Dekkers and the college gambling issue

Dekkers isn't the only student-athlete implicated in gambling violations. Iowa Hawkeyes baseball prospect Gehrig Christensen was earlier accused of colluding with his mother to place bets on Iowa sporting events.

This comes after both the Iowa and Alabama Crimson Tide baseball teams were also investigated for gambling violations. Alabama coach Brad Bohannon was even fired due to the scandal that gripped his program.

Hunter Dekkers and Gehrig Christensen just happen to be some of the first prospects caught by the new NCAA gambling rules, which will likely net quite a few student-athletes in the coming years.