Iowa State starting quarterback and suspended NFL player among those charged in gambling investigation

Hunter Dekkers, the starting quarterback for all 12 Iowa State football games last season, is among several athletes who have been charged in Iowa district court in Story County in connection with an investigation into alleged student-athlete gambling at Iowa State University and the University of Iowa.

Dekkers faces a charge of tampering with records, with the state alleging Dekkers attempted to disguise his identity while betting on sports events. The criminal complaint alleges bets were made from Dekkers' phone using a DraftKings account set up under the name of a family member. He has denied the accusations.

A former Iowa State football player who was recently suspended by the NFL, a current Cyclones player and a wrestler were also charged.

Dekkers is alleged to have placed approximately 366 bets totaling over $2,799, with 26 of those bets involving Iowa State events, including a 2021 football game in which he did not play, according to the complaint. The complaint alleges Dekkers, a redshirt junior, was under the age of 21 at the time when he used DraftKings, below the legal betting age in Iowa.

Current National Collegiate Athletics Association guidelines state that athletes "who engage in activities to influence the outcomes of their own games or knowingly provide information to individuals involved in sports betting activities will potentially face permanent loss of collegiate eligibility in all sports. This would also apply to student-athletes who wager on their own games or on other sports at their own schools."

Dekker's attorney, Mark Weinhardt, said in a statement Wednesday that Dekkers "denies the criminal charge brought against him" and that he was charged "with a serious business records crime that does not apply to this situation even if the allegations against him were correct."

"This charge attempts to criminalize a daily fact of American life. Millions of people share online accounts of all kinds every day," Weinhardt says in the statement.