Fanatics to ban abusive sports bettors, lead industry effort

• Fanatics has launched the Bad Actor Program in partnership with Signify Group and Integrity Compliance 360
• BAP is designed to track down gamblers who issue threats and abuse athletes and officials online and restrict their accounts
• Fanatics is also determined to share its findings with law enforcement, regulators, teams, and other sportsbooks to make it a comprehensive tool against abuse

Fanatics Sportsbook is launching a new initiative aimed at going after sports bettors who have sent threats or otherwise abused athletes, officials, or other sports-related figures over lost wagers.

Fanatics to lead industry effort in cracking down on sports abusers

The company is set to restrict and ban such customers from its platforms, through a partnership with Integrity Compliance 360 and Signify Group, launching the Bad Actor Program (BAP), allowing it to monitor social media and processes direct tip-offs from athletes and officials.

While Fanatics Sportsbook’s sports betting market share isn’t the greatest in the United States, BAP actually strives to become an industry standard and crack down on abusers, with the program also intended to share its findings with other sports books, thus creating an ecosystem where abusers won’t be tolerated - or allowed a chance to gamble in the first place.

In a press statement from Signify Group, the company explained how the initiative will help strengthen athletes' protection:

"As the first legal sports betting operator to join the initiative, Fanatics Sportsbook has committed to suspending or permanently terminating customer accounts where evidence demonstrates abusive, threatening, or harassing conduct towards athletes, coaches, or officials."

Fanatics Sportsbook notes that plaintiffs may still reach out to law enforcement, but this is usually a lengthy process where BAP can act more swiftly in denying gamblers the opportunity to wager on outcomes involving professional and college athletes, as well as officials.

BAP is also empowered by AI technology that can quickly detect abusers and place them on a prohibition list in a matter of hours. The evidence collected through BAP could then be used to assist police investigations, as well as regulators and governing bodies, teams, and more.

Ultimately, BAP is designed to raise the stakes for bettors who think they can abuse athletes and staff, denying them the opportunity to gamble, attend team games, and even face civil and criminal prosecution.

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