Massachusetts Creates Statewide Exclusion Program to Combat Gambling-Related Athlete Harassment

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has introduced a regulatory mechanism designed to address a growing problem in sports betting: harassment of athletes by losing gamblers. The program, called Bet on Respect, allows the state to maintain a statewide exclusion list that all licensed sportsbooks and casinos must enforce, preventing individuals found to have harassed athletes from opening accounts at any regulated operator within Massachusetts.

While individual sportsbooks like BetMGM and DraftKings already possess contractual authority to suspend customer accounts for abusive behavior, the MGC's approach represents a significant escalation. The statewide exclusion effectively closes the loophole that previously allowed excluded bettors to simply migrate to another platform. Under the new system, reported incidents undergo a regulator-led investigation and formal appeal process before placement on the exclusion list, providing due process safeguards.

Athletes, coaches, league officials, players' associations, and the athletes themselves can report incidents through a dedicated portal or email address ([email protected]). The commission will investigate claims and determine whether exclusion is warranted.

Recent high-profile incidents underscore the scope of the problem. In June 2025, an Olympic champion track athlete was followed and heckled by a gambler at a track meet who claimed the harassment helped him win a parlay wager. The bettor was subsequently banned by FanDuel. Similarly, NBA player Fred VanVleet reported being confronted at church by a gambler who claimed a $3,000 parlay loss was VanVleet's fault. According to NCAA data, 51 percent of Division I men's basketball student-athletes have faced online abuse related to their athletic performance, with 46 percent of those reporting that the abuse was directly tied to gambling activity.

The program has secured broad industry support from major operators operating in Massachusetts, including Bally Bet, BetMGM/MGM Springfield, Caesars, DraftKings, Fanatics Betting and Gaming, FanDuel, and Penn Entertainment/Plainridge Park Casino. Professional teams including the Boston Bruins, Boston Celtics, Boston Red Sox, New England Patriots, and New England Revolution have endorsed the initiative, as has the NCAA.

Massachusetts Gaming Commission Chair Jordan Maynard emphasized the distinction between acceptable fan behavior and harassment, noting that "good-natured cheering and jeering are acceptable and even expected at sporting events, but sports wagering is an activity for adults, and adults should know better than to cross the line into harassment." The regulatory stance reflects growing recognition that protecting athlete safety represents a legitimate consumer protection objective for gaming commissions.

Bet on Respect demonstrates how state regulators can use exclusion frameworks traditionally associated with responsible gambling enforcement to address misconduct linked to gambling activity. Whether the program becomes a model for other states will depend partly on its demonstrated effectiveness and administrative burden on operators and regulators.