Published on: August 26, 2025, at 09:48h.
Updated on: August 26, 2025, at 09:49h.
- Venmo is actively working to reduce harassment towards student-athletes
- Numerous college athletes have experienced online abuse due to their performance from frustrated bettors
- Venmo ranks as one of the leading payment platforms on campuses
Venmo is taking initiative to tackle online harassment by closely monitoring the accounts of student-athletes using its mobile payment platform.
As a subsidiary of PayPal, Venmo stands as a popular peer-to-peer payment tool on college campuses. Recently, many student-athletes have reported harassment from bettors who blame them for losses incurred due to athletic performance.
With the start of the college football season, Venmo and the NCAA are joining forces to address this issue.
Venmo will soon launch a hotline for reporting incidents of cyberbullying targeted at student-athletes. They plan to monitor these accounts consistently to help control payment requests tied to player performance and will introduce further security measures as necessary.
Furthermore, a “best practices guide” will be available to student-athletes, educating them on how to safeguard their accounts against harassment. This guide will be shared through NCAA communications, including email and online learning modules.
Ensuring Player Safety
NCAA President Charlie Baker has been urging state gaming regulators in areas where sports betting is permitted to eliminate betting options that rely on the performance of individual student-athletes, known as player props. This practice, he argues, amplifies the risk of harassment for college athletes on platforms like Venmo and social media.
The level of harassment seen across various online platforms is intolerable, and it’s crucial for fans to enhance their behavior. We commend Venmo for their initiative, and we encourage more social media and online platforms to follow suit,” commented Baker.
In June, professional golfer Scottie Scheffler disclosed that he had to remove his Venmo account due to harassment from bettors, stating he often received numerous requests for payments when he didn’t meet their expectations, despite occasionally receiving tips from satisfied bettors.
I had to delete my Venmo because people were either sending me money or asking for several dollars when I didn’t win. It was an unsettling experience,” Scheffler mentioned at the U.S. Open.
According to Venmo, their collaboration with the NCAA will include public service announcements regarding the dangers of sending payment requests to student-athletes related to sports betting, which may also result in account closures.
David Szuchman, who oversees financial crime and consumer protection at PayPal, noted that while “unwanted interactions” constitute a “very small fraction” of total transactions on Venmo, even a few incidents are unacceptable.
College Football Season Kickoff
The inaugural week of the college football season is set to commence on Saturday, featuring a matchup between No. 1 Texas and No. 3 Ohio State at “The Shoe” in Columbus.
Texas becomes the first pre-season No. 1 to enter their first game as an underdog, with Ohio State favored by two points. The over/under stands at 47.5 points.
Other prominent matchups this weekend feature No. 9 LSU taking on No. 4 Clemson, where Clemson holds a four-point advantage. On Sunday, No. 6 Notre Dame is set to face No. 10 Miami, with the Fighting Irish favored by 2.5 points.