Five major professional sports leagues and their players associations sent a joint letter to gambling regulators in 35 states and the District of Columbia, asking for rules that would permanently revoke betting privileges for anyone found to have threatened or harassed athletes, coaches, officials or team personnel.
The NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and MLS, along with their players unions, emphasized “the escalating threat facing professional players, coaches, and officials, the continued harassment and violent threats from sports bettors.”
The coalition urged sportsbooks and mobile betting operators to permanently revoke wagering privileges for individuals verified to have abusively harassed or issued threats of violence against professional or amateur athlete, coach, official, team personnel, or their respective families.
The NCAA did not sign the letter, but the leagues also urged states to extend bans to cover threats against amateur athletes.
Growth of legal betting cited as factor
While the expansion of legal, state-regulated sports betting has provided new ways for fans to engage with their favorite sports, it has also brought about negative consequences for players and other personnel involved with professional sporting events, the leagues and unions stated.
Too often, individuals who lose sports bets direct threatening and harassing messages toward players, coaches, and their families through social media and in-person interactions, they noted.
Threatening the safety of an athlete or their family members over a sports bet crosses a clear ethical and legal line and is entirely unacceptable. It is crucial that state and local leaders protect participants in sports at all levels, the letter emphasizes.
Ohio, West Virginia, Louisiana and Wyoming already exclude “malicious actors” from licensed sportsbooks and mobile applications, and the leagues want the remaining 35 states and the District of Columbia to implement similar measures.
“We urge all state gaming commissions and policymakers to quickly adopt uniform rules and legislative safeguards to address this behavior,” the letter declares.
Threats have escalated since 2018 ruling
Harassment of athletes by bettors has risen since the Supreme Court’s 2018 PASPA decision paved the way for state-regulated sports betting. Former Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers received threats from a bettor later found to be living overseas.
California bettor Benjamin “Parlay” Patz sent messages to four Tampa Bay Rays players threatening to “cut” their throats and was accused by federal investigators of targeting over 300 accounts belonging to professional and college athletes.
Patz pleaded guilty in 2021 to transmitting threats in interstate or foreign commerce; a judge ordered mental health treatment and a gambling ban instead of prison time.
In December 2024, then-Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin held the first federal hearing on sports betting in six years, noting that former North Carolina center Armando Bacot received over 100 threats on social media after not meeting the “over” on his rebound total in a win over Michigan State.
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