NCAA joins betting-industry program to combat harassment of college athletes
The NCAA has announced its participation in the Bad Actor Program, a joint initiative by IC360 and Signify Group that tracks individuals who engage in abusive online behavior and shares that data with betting platforms so those users can be banned. The move comes as harassment of college athletes by bettors has grown sharply, with NCAA research showing nearly half of Division I men's basketball players have received threatening or negative messages from people who wagered on their games. A separate review of 1.3 million social media posts directed at athletes and coaches flagged more than 72,000 as problematic, with over 5,000 containing abusive, discriminatory, or threatening content. No other sports governing body had previously announced participation in the program; Fanatics is listed as its first sportsbook partner.
nearly half of Division I men's basketball players report receiving a negative or threatening message from someone who had bet on their game.
Why it matters
For service providers: Sportsbooks partnering with the Bad Actor Program may face pressure to enforce bans on abusive users, affecting platform policies and user management.
For brands: Sponsors and brands associated with college sports should be aware of the reputational environment created by betting-related harassment of athletes.
For coaches: Coaches are also targets of betting-related harassment, making this enforcement program directly relevant to their online safety.
For media: Pending federal legislation, including the Protect College Sports Act, and shifting congressional dynamics could reshape how harassment issues are addressed, making this an ongoing story to watch.
For athletes: College athletes facing threats and abuse from bettors now have a formal reporting pathway and may see offenders banned from sportsbook platforms.
Read the full story at Sportico
Sources
- Sportico · Michael McCann: NCAA Goes After Gamblers Who Harass College Athletes