The five major U.S. professional sports leagues and their players associations sent a joint letter to state gaming regulators this week calling for uniform rules that would permanently ban bettors who threaten or harass athletes, coaches and officials.
“Threatening the safety of an athlete or their family members over a sports bet crosses a bright ethical and criminal line, and it is entirely unacceptable,” reads the letter posted by ESPN‘s Adam Schefter.
The leagues – MLB, MLS, NBA, NFL and NHL – are proposing mandatory lifetime bans, streamlined reporting mechanisms and operator accountability to curb harassment in sports.
Multiple states and sports betting operators have already taken steps toward protecting athletes.
What the letter asks for
The 10 entities are asking states to crack down on bad behavior exhibited by sports bettors. They provided explanations for each proposed regulatory action:
- Mandatory Lifetime Ban: Establish explicit rules requiring state-regulated sportsbooks and mobile betting operators to permanently revoke wagering privileges for any individual verified to have abusively harassed or issued threats of violence against any professional or amateur athlete, coach, official, team personnel, or their respective families.
- Streamlined Reporting Mechanisms: Create a standardized, cross-operator reporting framework allowing sports leagues, teams, players, and Players’ Associations to securely transmit verified evidence of threats to state regulators and law enforcement for possible placement on statewide exclusion lists. Exclusion in one state should be reciprocated in other states.
- Operator Accountability: Require commercial sportsbook partners to proactively monitor, flag, and ban accounts linked to abusive behavior toward athletes as a condition of maintaining their state operating licenses.
“The safety and well-being of players, coaches, officials and their families must always come before a wager,” the letter continued. “As game participants do their utmost to protect integrity, abusive and violent threats should not serve as a deterrence from performing to their fullest.”
Some states already battling harassment
Multiple states are already taking action against bad actors.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission implemented “Bet on Respect,” a new system that allows leagues, players and everyday citizens to report suspected harassment. BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, Fanatics and FanDuel all supported the initiative.
West Virginia passed a bill in 2024 banning individuals who exhibit bad behavior, who could also face misdemeanor or felony charges.
Ohio adopted a similar law in 2023, and then banned college player props a year later. Louisiana unanimously passed a bill that would exclude bettors, which went into effect last month.
Operator efforts
BetMGM updated its terms of service in February to include a section on “Harassment of sports officials, coaches, athletes and other individuals.” Customers could have accounts suspended or permanently terminated.
Fanatics, meanwhile, teamed up with IC360 and Signify Group on the Bad Actor Program, which monitors social media for threats against athletes and coaches and shares evidence across operators, with law enforcement referrals for the most serious cases. The program went into effect at the start of football season.
FanDuel banned a bettor who harassed Olympic gold medalist Gabby Thomas at a Grand Slam Track event. The operator also fully supported the MGC’s initiative with its own statement:
“FanDuel is proud to support the Massachusetts Gaming Commission’s Bet on Respect initiative and its efforts to address athlete harassment. We maintain a zero-tolerance policy toward abusive conduct and will continue working with regulators, leagues and teams to help foster a safe and respectful environment for everyone involved in sports.”
