Massachusetts Fights Athlete Harassment with New Campaign

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) is addressing athlete harassment from sports bettors with a new initiative.

‘Bet on Respect’ aims to ensure that sportsmen and women are protected from angry bettors during and after games.

The initiative will use Massachusetts Law and Commission regulation (205 CMR 152) to kick out anyone caught abusing athletes. The move includes both in-person abuse at stadiums or online.

Anyone caught will receive a blanket ban from sportsbooks or any of Massachusetts’ brick-and-mortar casinos.

Athletes Deserve to be ‘Free of Intimidation’

In a Massachusetts Gaming Commission statement, chair Jordan Maynard said that adults “should know better than to cross the line into harassment.”

He continued: “Athletes, officials, and others associated with games being wagered on deserve to be free of intimidation during and surrounding competition.”

While the tool will be “impactful”, Maynard said, the MGC hopes that residents will use common sense and understand “right from wrong”.

League representatives, sports venues, and even players themselves can now report instances of abuse via a dedicated portal.

The move echoes a similar push in Louisiana earlier this year to end sports betting-related harassment of players.

Senate Bill 325 will place anyone found guilty of harassment on a special exclusion list. They would then be banned from any retail sportsbook or online betting site.

NCAA Abuse Hits 51% of Division 1 Male Students

The NCAA has been particularly vocal about abuse directed toward its players in recent months.

A new study from the NCAA reported that over half of student-athletes had been on the end of abuse for their performance – both in person and online.

The “increased popularity of betting on college sports” was a direct cause of the rise in abuse cases, the study said.

Massachusetts legalized sports betting in 2022. Like many states, it permits betting on college sports but restricts certain wagers. Prop betting on individual college athletes is strictly forbidden.

MA Sports Wagering on the Up in 2026 

The Bet on Respect initiative is supported by the state’s major licensed betting operators, including DraftKings and BetMGM.

“FanDuel is proud to support the Massachusetts Gaming Commission’s Bet on Respect initiative and its efforts to address athlete harassment,” the sportsbook said on its X account.

“We maintain a zero-tolerance policy toward abusive conduct and will continue working with regulators, leagues and teams to help foster a safe and respectful environment for everyone involved in sports.”

FanDuel is among those licensed operators enjoying a bumper year in the regulated Massachusetts sports betting space.

The latest revenue figures for July saw FanDuel’s Revenue Hold rise by 11.40% year-over-year. The operator recorded over $150 million in settled wagers, helped by the FIFA World Cup on home soil.

Massachusetts Continues Gambling Pressure

Massachusetts lawmakers have been putting pressure on gambling in the state across the board.

A bill to legalize casino gambling was pushed back until 2027. However, attempts to curb sweepstakes casinos faltered in the 2026 legislative session. Tough penalties for sweepstakes casino operators won’t come in this year.