Oklahoma Sooners QB John Mateer Investigated For ‘Sports Gambling’ Venmo Transactions

The University of Oklahoma will be investigating a series of alleged Venmo payments made by quarterback John Mateer back in 2022 while he was a freshman at Washington State.

Mateer’s Venmo history went viral on Monday night after a pair of payments he made with “sports gambling” in the memo surfaced on social media.

“The allegations that I once participated in sports gambling are false,” Mateer posted to X on Tuesday. “My previous Venmo descriptions did not accurately portray the transactions in question, but were instead inside jokes between me and my friends.

“I have never been on sports.”

Screenshots posted online Monday night showed Mateer allegedly twice included “sports gambling” in memos for transactions on November 20, 2022, while he was a freshman at Washington State. Both transactions were allegedly made to a Venmo account for Richard Roaten, believed to be a teammate at Washington State at the time.

Student-athletes are not permitted to bet on college sports, per NCAA rules.

Per ESPN’s Pete Thamel, Oklahoma officials plan to be “proactive and exhaust every avenue” in its investigation.

At this time, it’s not yet clear if the NCAA also plans to open an investigation into Mateer’s alleged Venmo history. As of publication, there doesn’t appear to be other public evidence of Mateer betting on sports. Mateer has assured Oklahoma officials he has never been involved in gambling.

There is precedent for college players being punished for sports betting. In 2023, then-Iowa State quarterback Hunter Dekkers was accused of placing multiple bets on Iowa State sporting events – including a Cyclones football game. The NCAA ruled Dekkers to be permanently ineligible in February of 2024.

Oklahoma’s 2025 season begins on August 30 against Illinois State. The Sooners will face their first power-conference opponent the following week when Michigan comes to Norman on September 6.