The NFL, MLB, MLS, NBA, NHL and their players’ unions sent a letter to state gaming regulators on Tuesday, asking them to introduce regulations banning bettors who harass athletes and staff, in response to the “escalating threat” of harassment and violent threats from gamblers.
“Too often, individuals who lose sports bets direct threatening and harassing messages toward players, coaches, and their families via social media and in-person interactions,” the groups wrote in the letter.
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Athletes across sports have increasingly spoken out about harassment and threats received by bettors who lost money, as sports betting has surged since the Supreme Court paved the way for widespread legalization in 2018. In February, the Big Ten athletes commission asked the NCAA to advocate limiting prop bets because of athlete harassment.
The leagues and unions ask gaming commissions and regulators to require sportsbooks to implement a lifetime ban on bettors found to have “abusively harassed or issued threats of violence” toward athletes, coaches or other athletic staff and their families. The letter also asks regulators to create a standardized reporting system and to require sportsbooks to “proactively monitor, flag, and ban accounts linked to abusive behavior.”
The letter comes as teams and leagues are striking partnership deals with sportsbooks. Many have also struck deals with prediction markets, which are regulated at the federal level.