Add The New York Post on Google American sports leagues have had enough of unruly sports bettors.
Five major American sports leagues — MLB, MLS, NBA, NFL, and NHL — have banded together, along with their respective players’ unions, to condemn rogue bettors who harass members of their leagues.
In a joint statement sent Tuesday to state gaming commissions across the country, the coalition of leagues asked states to impose harsher penalties on people who threaten others because of gambling losses, including permanent bans from sportsbooks.
“Too often, individuals who lose sports bets direct threatening and harassing messages toward players, coaches, and their families via social media and in-person interactions,” the statement read.
“Threatening the safety of an athlete or their family members over a sports bet crosses a bright ethical and criminal line, and it is entirely unacceptable.”
The statement had three requests for gaming commissions.
The leagues asked that state regulators institute rules that would allow sportsbooks to revoke betting privileges from anyone who has been abusive or threatening to league personnel or their families.
They want regulators to create a platform for sports leagues and players’ associations to report harassment across operators and states so that bans would be instituted nationwide.
They also requested that sportsbooks, as a requirement to maintain their state licenses, be accountable for proactively flagging and banning accounts linked to threatening or abusive behavior.
The issue has grown more dire as sports betting has expanded across the United States over the past eight years.
Both athletes and their families have been vocal about the frequent and sometimes frightening messages they’ve received from people who say they are upset over lost bets.
Former Mets pitcher Ryne Stanek told The Post in November that he received death threats “every day” from people upset about their wagers.
“It’s not anything that every baseball player doesn’t deal with all the time,” he said. “Like, ‘You cost me my parlay, I hope your family dies.'”
Nina Westbrook, wife of now-retired NBA superstar Russell Westbrook, posted on social media about a disparaging email she received about her husband’s performance with the subject line, “F—K you,” and a message that ended with “I hope you both die in a car crash dumb b—h.”
“It’s something my husband and I consider routine,” Westbrook said, adding that she is “growing increasingly concerned for athletes.”
Rockets point guard Fred VanVleet told the Club 520 Podcast that an angry bettor approached him in church upset about a losing parlay that would have won the person $3,000.
“It’s the in-person one you gotta be careful for,” VanVleet warned the podcast hosts.
