Wyoming to force people on exclusion list over harassment

The State of Wyoming has become the latest to not take kindly to hecklers – and specifically, people who go to great lengths online to harass athletes over their performance.

This sort of cyber-bullying has emerged (or at least grown) with the introduction of regulated sports gambling, which has seen many punters take to the internet and voice their frustrations, often targeting the athletes whom they directly blame for missing that one-player prop bet.

Wyoming to forcibly exclude people from gambling

The NCAA has called for the suspension of player props, especially those involving student-athletes in NCAAF and NCAAB events. States such as Ohio have obliged.

Now, Wyoming’s gambling regulator, the Wyoming Gaming Commission, has said that it will forcibly add any individual who harasses athletes online to the state’s involuntary exclusion list, effectively prohibiting access to regulated sportsbooks.

This measure could not necessarily have the desired effect, as punters who tend to fume over lost bets may just switch to offshore sportsbooks which are still accessible from the state. The Sports Betting Alliance, a trade group, has similarly chimed in, suggesting that this could indeed empower black market operators.

However, Wyoming commissioners believe that the measure is iron-clad and will help address the sprawling issue of sports betting-induced online harassment.

The commission has gone to lengths to explain what would constitute harassment under its new rules. According to the commission, any kind of vandalism, physical contact, or obscenities by individuals will qualify as harassment and prompt a reaction.

Wyoming has a point in punishing individuals who threaten players, as athletes have reported increasing abuse over the last years, mostly carried out by anonymous accounts on the internet and platforms such as X, Instagram and Facebook.

Online casinos may very well arrive in Wyoming

In the meantime, Wyoming is also looking into opportunities to expand its gambling industry by rolling out online casinos on top of its existing sports betting framework.

Wyoming Rep. RobertDavis spoke to PlayUSA, a respected media publication, and said that a previously launched study by Spectrum Gaming Group assessing the feasibility of online casinos in the state has come back positive.

"The iGaming portion sounds good. It doesn’t support any cannibalization, and it looks to be relatively easily implemented based on the things the state of Wyoming currently has going for it," Davis exclusively told the publication.

Wyoming’s gambling landscape remains solid, as regulators seek a way to address some of the outstanding issues while exploring new opportunities.

Image credit: Flickr (@Lorie Shaull)