No American sports league has been fully insulated from gambling scandals since the Supreme Court overturned a federal ban on sports betting in 2018. The NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL have all confronted policy violations resulting in punishments ranging from fines and suspensions to league bans and even federal indictments.<\/p>\n
To better understand how betting has affected players, The Athletic compiled responses from its anonymous player surveys this year.<\/p>\n
Here are the key takeaways.<\/p>\n
What type of harassing messages have players received since sports betting was legalized?<\/p>\n
MLB:\u00a078 percent of the 133 players The Athletic anonymously surveyed<\/a> said legalized sports betting has changed how fans treat them or their teammates. Pitchers Liam Hendricks and Lance McCullers Jr. said they and their families were targeted with death threats.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve received (something) as simple as a Venmo request with a threat on it that says, \u2018You owe me $9,000 because you blew the game \u2013 I need you to send me that money or I\u2019m going to find your family,\u2019\u201d one veteran pitcher said. \u201cThat\u2019s too far. We\u2019ve communicated as players to MLB security that we need to get a handle on this before it gets out of control. I don\u2019t want to say this, but something bad is going to happen and it\u2019s going to be like, \u2018We told you so.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s insane,\u201d said one National League position player. \u201cNowadays it\u2019s \u2018f\u2014 you, f\u2014 your family.\u2019 S\u2014, it\u2019s a bad day, I\u2019m sorry. It\u2019s not like I called you and said, \u2018Bet on me today.\u2019 You\u2019re making the fans expect us to go 4-for-4 every day.\u201d<\/p>\n NBA:\u00a0Multiple NBA stars have been outspoken about fans\u2019 messages that \u201ccrossed the line.\u201d New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson recently said he\u2019s been sent \u201csome pretty messed up sh\u2013. The worst things you\u2019re thinking of, it\u2019s worse than that.\u201d<\/p>\n In The Athletic\u2019s Anonymous NBA Player Poll<\/a> this year, roughly one-third of the league \u2014 150 of the 158 players polled \u2014 shared their opinions about sports gambling with our writers.<\/p>\n \u201cI get 10 messages, DMs (direct messages) a game, (saying), \u2018F\u2014 you, I\u2019m gonna f\u2014 your family up,\u201d one player said.<\/p>\n \u201cI personally hate gambling. Hate everyone talking about parlays this, parlays that. I hate getting DMs in my Instagram talking about, \u2018You f\u2014\u2013 up my parlay.\u2019 I hate people sending me threats because I messed up their parlay,\u201d another said.<\/p>\n \u201cTerrible. Hate them. Every game, no matter if it\u2019s a good game or bad game, you\u2019ve got motherf\u2014\u2014 sending death threats, saying racist s\u2014. Every game. I guarantee you, if I check right now, I\u2019ll probably have something from this game. Every game. Everywhere. DMs, Twitter. People be tripping, bro,\u201d a player said. \u201cI hope it doesn\u2019t happen, but it\u2019s going to come to a point where players are going to be targeted because people have lost so much money on them. That\u2019s what I think. But hopefully I\u2019m wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n NHL:\u00a0While nearly 67 percent of 157 player respondents<\/a> said they had not received more harassing messages since sports betting was legalized, several described getting toxic messages. One player said he gets at least one or two every day.<\/p>\n \u201cHonestly, I\u2019d say 75 percent of them are them being mad about something. \u2018How did you let in that late goal? I had the under. Thanks a lot. You f\u2014ing suck.\u2019 Things like that constantly,\u201d one goaltender said. \u201cI feel like, as a goalie, we\u2019re a little bit more exposed to it, too.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cTogether with a couple death threats and a few other things,\u201d another player added.<\/p>\n Some fans take it a step further. Venmo and Cash App requests to players are common in the NHL, as fans often ask players to send them money.<\/p>\n NFL:\u00a0Though players weren\u2019t formally polled on this question, several have recently spoken about fans directing angry messages at them. New York Giants kicker Graham Gano said he\u2019s received death threats from fans over poor performances. Arizona Cardinals running back Emari Demercado tweeted \u201c[fans] don\u2019t treat us like humans, we\u2019re just pawns in the games they watch.\u201d And Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson said last season, \u201cYou gotta understand, we\u2019re human too.\u201d<\/p>\n Are players concerned about prop bets affecting the integrity of their sports?<\/p>\n NBA:\u00a0The NBA has been notably affected by the rise in prop bets. Several NBA figures \u2014 including Portland coach Chauncey Billups, Heat guard Terry Rozier and the former player and coach Damon Jones \u2014 were arrested in a federal investigation<\/a> for alleged activities like tipping non-public information to bettors and participating in an illegal gambling ring. Former Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter was banned for life after admitting he bet on NBA games, revealed his own injury status and manipulated his performance for prop-bet gains.<\/p>\n Almost 50 percent of players<\/a> said the NBA\u2019s partnerships with gambling companies is bad for the league, according to the anonymous survey. The NBA has tried to take measures to prevent manipulation: it reached an agreement with its betting partners to not offer any \u201cunder\u201d prop bets on players who are on either a two-way or 10-day contract.<\/p>\n \u201cNBA players compete at the highest level with the utmost integrity and are concerned that prop bets have become an increasingly alarming source of player harassment, both online and in person,\u201d a spokesperson for the NBA players\u2019 union said in August<\/a>. \u201cIf tighter regulations can help minimize that abuse, then we support taking a closer look at them.\u201d<\/p>\n Several players said the NBA was engaging in a clear conflict of interest. How can the league constantly promote gambling, then not expect players to engage in the activity, one player asked.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel like anytime you click on TV or NBA TV, you always see something about spreads or gambling. As you know, some players have had problems with it. I feel like it\u2019s kind of antagonizing players to think about it, and also, I think it\u2019s a conflict of interest for the NBA, too. So, I think it\u2019s bad,\u201d another said.<\/p>\n NFL:\u00a0This week, the NFL sent out a memo to all 32 teams detailing restrictions on bets tied to player injuries, officiating, single-player plays \u2014 such as a kicker missing a field goal \u2014 and pre-determined outcomes. The prohibitions outlined in the memo are not new and were essentially a reminder to teams in wake of recent gambling scandals, a league source confirmed to The Athletic.<\/p>\n Since the league suspended 10 players for violating gambling policies in 2023, it has not had any public betting scandals. And while the NFL says it is working to limit and, where possible, prohibit prop bets, there are hundreds of available micro-bets that fans can wager on across most major sportsbooks.<\/p>\n MLB:\u00a0Tony Clark, the MLB union leader, has publicly called for the elimination of prop bets. Top agent Scott Boras echoed that statement. Cleveland Guardians pitchers Emmanuel Clase and Luis Ortiz were indicted for allegedly participating in a scheme that arranged specific pitch outcomes in exchange for bets.<\/p>\n