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The NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and MLS want states to permanently remove sports betting access from customers who threaten or harass athletes. The five leagues and their players associations have asked regulators across 36 US jurisdictions to create common rules for handling betting related abuse. Good to Know The proposal calls for lifetime sportsbook bans for verified harassment or threats. Leagues want exclusion decisions shared between states and betting operators. Massachusetts already uses gambling regulations to exclude people who harass athletes. Leagues Want One Sports Betting Harassment System Rather than leaving each sportsbook to set its own policy, the leagues want athlete harassment built into state sports betting regulation. Their proposal includes permanent account bans, a shared reporting framework and licensing requirements that would make operators monitor and flag abusive conduct. An exclusion in one jurisdiction could also carry into others under the proposed system. “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 group said in the letter. “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.” Ohio, West Virginia, Louisiana and Wyoming already have rules that allow betting related offenders to lose wagering access. Massachusetts recently added another model through Bet on Respect. Under that program, athletes, leagues, sports organizations and members of the public can report harassment. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission can investigate a case and place qualifying individuals on an exclusion list covering licensed sportsbooks and casinos. Operators have also started acting independently. Fanatics works with IC360 and Signify Group on a system that identifies threatening conduct, while several major operators support the Massachusetts program. MLB Survey Shows Scale of Bettor Abuse Recent MLB data adds context to the regulatory request. A survey of 100 MLB players found that 81 had faced contact or confrontation from bettors over their performance. Players described messages reaching private accounts and family members, while some bettors even used payment apps to demand money after losing wagers. The issue has also reached college sports. The NCAA has asked states to address bettor harassment since 2024, while some sports organizations have questioned whether certain player prop markets increase direct abuse toward individual athletes. “The safety and well-being of players, coaches, officials, and their families must always come before a wager,” the group said in the letter. “As game participants do their utmost to protect integrity, abusive and violent threats should not serve as a deterrent from performing to their fullest. “We ask for your support in establishing policies that ensure those who threaten athletes and coaches lose their privilege to participate in sports betting forever.”

MLS

US Sports Leagues Seek Lifetime Betting Bans for Athlete Harassment

Washington Seeks Full Picture of Gambling Money in Sports