Five US sports leagues seek lifetime bans for bettors who harass athletes
A joint letter to US regulators wants bettors who threaten athletes to face permanent exclusion from licensed sportsbooks.
US.- The National Football League (NFL), Major League Baseball (MLB), National Basketball Association (NBA), National Hockey League (NHL), and Major League Soccer (MLS) are seeking permanent betting bans for people who harass athletes due to betting-related maters. The leagues and their respective player associations have written to regulators in 35 states and the District of Columbia to urge action.
The letter requests that state-regulated sportsbooks and mobile carriers permanently suspend gambling licences in cases when an individual has “abusively harassed or issued threats of violence” against a professional or amateur athlete, coach, official, member of team staff, or their family. Leagues, clubs, players and unions also want a single reporting route to verified evidence to be shared with regulators and police and for an exclusion in one state recognised in others.
Under the proposal, Sportsbooks would have to watch for accounts tied to abuse and close them as a condition of keeping a state licence.
“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,” the letter says. It argues that losing bettors “too often” send threats and abuse to players, coaches and families, both on social media and in person.
Joe Maloney, president of the Sports Betting Alliance, said: “Harassing or threatening an athlete, coach, or official over a sports bet is unacceptable, and we support efforts to hold those individuals accountable.”
The letter names Ohio, West Virginia, Louisiana and Wyoming as states that already have measures in place. The National Collegiate Athletic Association did not sign the letter, but amateur athletes would be included in the ban the leagues are seeking.
