Massachusetts gambling regulator wants to curb athlete abuse over betting

• Massachusetts Gaming Commission steps up efforts to protect athletes, sports insiders from abusers
• People who harass this target group would now be investigated and possibly placed onto the state’s involuntary exclusion list
• This is the latest step by a regulator to curb betting-fueled harassment of athletes and insiders

Targeting athletes over a sports bet that didn’t come true has become a serious issue for professional and college-level athletes. Many have no way to mitigate the wrath of vengeful gamblers who take to social media to issue threats, slurs, and abuse.

MGC seeks to address abuse of athletes - prevent it and punish offenders

Some threaten to go even further. For athletes, this is a zero-sum game. Perform well, and you still cause some bets to lose. Perform badly, and you end up in the same bind.

This is where custodians such as the Massachusetts Gambling Commission offer to step in through initiatives such as the newly proposed "Bet on Respect" initiative, which will allow leagues, players’ associations and college athletic programs, as well as sports venues, to report suspected harassment and share data about such individuals.

MGC Chairman Jordan Maynard commented on the fresh initiative, elaborating on its aim:

"Athletes, officials, and others associated with games being wagered on deserve to be free of intimidation during and surrounding competition. While this tool will be impactful, we hope its use will be limited as patrons will know right from wrong."

The initiative accounts for both in-person and online abuse, offering wider selection criteria and thus hopefully leading to meaningful and impactful changes. Part of the enforcement action will see the regulator add people found guilty of abusing athletes, or other sports officials, or team members, to the state’s involuntary exclusion list.

The MGC will determine what the most appropriate course of action is

While this list is usually reserved for people who violate gambling laws, commit tax fraud, or cheat at gambling, the regulator is now expanding it to also include people who have been abusing athletes over wagers.

To help facilitate enforcement action, the MGC has also set up a new onlineportal where affected parties may submit their reports of suspected abuse. Once a signal is received, the MGC may choose to act in a number of ways, but it follows a step-by-step guidance to determine the merit of the signal as well.

First, the MGC will investigate the signal and could also resort to subpoenas to gather additional evidence. It would then determine whether an individual meets the exclusion criteria or dismiss the case. A person who is placed on the involuntary list would have 30 days to appeal the decision and attempt to reverse it.

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