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- The NBA and WNBA are urging state gaming regulators to mandate permanent sportsbook bans for bettors who harass game participants.
- The professional leagues also want operators to actively monitor abusive customers and simplify reporting threats directly to law enforcement.
The NBA and WNBA are asking state gaming regulators to require lifetime sportsbook bans for bettors who threaten or harass athletes, coaches, officials, or their families.
The request would push states and operators toward a more uniform response to betting-related abuse, with the leagues also seeking easier reporting to law enforcement, use of state exclusion lists, and licensing requirements that would force sportsbooks to monitor abusive customers as a necessary extension of their responsible gaming programs.
In a statement, league representatives said, “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 leagues said the abuse is not always limited to people directly involved in games. “While this behavior is typically directed at players or other game participants, at times it even extends to family members,” they said.
What the leagues want regulators and sportsbooks to do
According to the source report, the NBA, WNBA, player associations, and referee representatives want states to establish a common policy when bettors target game participants.
The measures they are seeking include:
- Permanent betting bans for bettors who threaten or harass players, coaches, officials, or family members
- Easier reporting of incidents to law enforcement
- Use of state exclusion lists
- Licensing requirements compelling sportsbooks to monitor abusive customers
Some operators have already taken internal steps. The report says Fanatics and DraftKings have introduced their own procedures aimed at dealing with abusive behavior.
Broader industry push and the policy debate
The NBA and WNBA are not alone. Representatives from the NFL, MLB, NHL, and MLS made similar requests earlier in September, adding to a wider push by major U.S. sports leagues for tougher responses to betting-related harassment.
The issue is also surfacing alongside debate over player prop wagering, especially in college sports. The NCAA has spent more than two years asking regulators to restrict college player prop betting.
On September 24, however, the Indiana Gaming Commission unanimously rejected an NCAA request to ban pregame college player props, while leaving in place the state’s existing ban on live college player props. Commissioner B.R. Lane said the wider harassment issue may be a matter for lawmakers rather than regulators alone.
“We have a bigger issue here, and the legislature … in my opinion, would be the appropriate place to address that,” Lane said.
What happens next is unclear. The source does not specify which states may take up the NBA and WNBA proposal first, or whether any regulators are prepared to adopt the requested lifetime bans.
Source: As reported by igaming.org.
