The NBA, which recently joined a coalition of U.S. pro sports leagues petitioning state gaming regulators to do more to combat harassment of athletes by sports bettors, sent a follow-up letter on Thursday that adds the WNBA to the request.
Key Takeaways
- The NBA and WNBA echoed policy changes requested by the NFL, MLB, NHL, and MLS.
- The group of leagues wants abusive bettors to be banned for life from sportsbooks.
- The pro basketball leagues also pointed out that family members are being impacted.
Both leagues, their players’ associations, and the referees called for regulatory action to “better protect athletes, game participants, and their families from betting-related harassment and related threats,” according to the letter obtained by ESPN’s David Payne Purdum.
The NBA and WNBA said their players, coaches, and officials have reported increased threats from disgruntled bettors, including harassment inside the arenas, violent threats on the street, and social-media abuse.
“While this behavior is typically directed at players or other game participants, at times it even extends to family members,” the leagues wrote in the letter. “All of this is unacceptable, and all stakeholders should do their part to discourage this kind of misconduct and to punish it where they are able.”
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Call for change
The NFL, MLB, NHL, and MLS also called for action earlier this month, and the NBA and WNBA are asking regulators and policymakers to adopt regulatory rules from that Sept. 15 joint letter.
The reform request calls for a mandatory lifetime ban by sports betting operators on any bettor who abuses game participants or threatens violence. Fanatics and DraftKings recently implemented processes to eliminate bad actors, but not all sportsbooks are following a state-mandated guideline for handling harassment.
The coalition also wants a streamlined reporting mechanism of abuse that leagues can share with law enforcement and states for exclusion lists. Another request involves a state-licensing requirement for sportsbooks to monitor, alert, and ban customers who participate in athlete abuse.
“While these changes are not a panacea, we believe they will help to deter and punish individuals who engage in betting-related harassment, and will better protect our athletes, coaches, officials, and their families as a result,” the NBA and WNBA representatives stated in the letter. “We appreciate your attention to this important matter.”
Abuse concerns
The NCAA has been calling for regulatory changes and a ban on college player props for more than two years, citing social media abuse as a great concern for the governing body’s athletes who fail to reach stat numbers offered by sportsbooks.
On Thursday, Indiana’s gaming commission rejected the NCAA’s request to prohibit player prop betting, saying the state’s lawmakers would need to enact policies.
“We have a bigger issue here, and the legislature ... in my opinion, would be the appropriate place to address that,” commissioner B.R. Lane said.
Players across sports have been outspoken about numerous harassment instances, including one MLB pitcher’s family receiving death threats from a disgruntled overseas bettor.
