Governor Kim Reynolds says she had no role in the investigation of alleged illegal sports betting among college athletes in Ames and Iowa City.
During an interview with Radio Iowa today, Reynolds said state law requires the Division of Criminal Investigation through the Iowa Department of Public Safety to monitor sports gaming in Iowa. “So by Code, this is their job to do that,” Reynolds said. “They don’t check with me when they’re doing their job, as well as it should be. They shouldn’t be running any of that through me.”
Last May, officials at Iowa State University and the University of Iowa announced dozens of athletes at the University of Iowa and Iowa State University had been caught up in the DCI’s investigation of underage wagering as well as betting on teams at their own schools. Court documents released this week allege a whistleblower in the DCI says he was misled about the investigation and asked to be reassigned after another agent congratulated him for getting an athlete to confess. Reynolds declined to comment on those allegations.
“This is probably going to end up in the courts, so I am going to have to be very careful with what I, you know, how I respond to that, but ultimately we’ll get some answers,” Reynolds said. “…I need to be very careful. I’ve seen that go wrong with too many governors before me and then you’re part of the hearings.”
According to Reynolds, the state’s public safety commissioner is “getting ready to provide some information” about the investigation.