The American Gaming Association (AGA) has added the issue of athlete harassment to the core pillars of its responsible betting public service campaign.
The AGA has expanded its Have A Game Plan. Bet Responsibly. initiative to include a new “Keep Your Cool” pillar which it said emphasizes that harassment of athletes by bettors is never appropriate.
The AGA said in a release that the new focus complements its foundational principles by promoting sportsmanship, reminding players that sports betting is entertainment and highlighting the fact that, “the result of a bet should not prompt negative actions – in person or online – towards athletes and officials.”
“Responsible gaming efforts like Have A Game Plan and other proactive efforts by legal operators are resonating with consumers and making a difference,” said AGA President and CEO Bill Miller. “‘Keep Your Cool’ builds on this momentum by reminding bettors that a betting result – good or bad – is not an invitation to criticize a team, official, or athlete.”
“Keep Your Cool” is the fifth pillar of the AGA’s program, joining the below:
- Set a Budget: Establish and stick to a financial limit.
- Keep It Social: Bet responsibly as part of a shared activity.
- Know the Odds: Know the terminology and understand risks before placing bets.
- Play Legally: Use regulated, legal betting platforms.
Athlete abuse a recurring problem, says Signify
The topic of harassment of athletes has surfaced repeatedly in recent months.
In May, NCAA Managing Director Mark Hicks said at the SBC Summit North America Player Protection Symposium that the college athletics association’s data partner Signify counted 50,000 incidents of athlete harassment online during March Madness. Half of the 4,000 instances that were serious enough to be turned over to the platform and/or law enforcement could be tied back to sports betting.
Five months later in October, the NCAA and Signify revealed they had found more than 5,000 public social media posts had sent abuse directly to college athletes, coaches or officials over the space of a few months. A significant proportion of the messages either included language that was directly related to sports betting or language that “was influenced by sports-betting behaviors.”
Some regulators have moved to take action. Notably, last month, the Wyoming Gaming Commission regulators voted to effectively ban any bettors who are found guilty of harassing athletes or other sporting figures by adding them to the state’s involuntary exclusion list. In doing so, Wyoming joined states such as Ohio and West Virginia in imposing regulations designed to penalize people who harass athletes.
