The banishment of a FanDuel bettor who heckled an Olympic gold medalist at a track event in Pennsylvania is drawing the attention of regulators.
FanDuel banned an unnamed bettor for sharing a video of himself verbally harassing track and field star Gabby Thomas at a Grand Slam Track event in Philadelphia. The bettor, who goes by “Mr 100k a day” on X, claimed his heckling of Thomas led to a win of two parlay wagers.
The social media posts drew the attention of Thomas, FanDuel, the track community and the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB).
“This grown man followed me around the track as I took pictures and signed autographs for fans (mostly children) shouting personal insults,” said Thomas in a post shared via X.
In addition to the unnamed fan’s ban from FanDuel, the issue could have regulatory repercussions.
SBC Americas reached out to the PGCB, but a spokesperson for the gaming regulator said the PGCB cannot comment on the banishment at this time as its staff can examine the matter for possible actions.
Despite FanDuel’s ban, the unnamed bettor claimed he doesn’t own a personal FanDuel account and that the wagers were placed by clients who paid him a consulting fee and a percentage of profits of the winning wagers, something that is likely to draw more scrutiny from the PGCB.
Gambling-related threats against professional athletes
Thomas adds to the growing list of athletes dealing with gambling-related harassment.
Earlier this week, the Houston Police Department identified an unnamed man who allegedly directed gambling-related insults and death threats to Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. Police discovered that the unnamed heckler was based overseas and that he was under the influence of alcohol when he shared the threats on social media.
Due to the online threats, McCullers hired 24-hour security for himself and his family. The unnamed man has not been charged with the crime, but the case remains open.
Boston Red Sox pitcher Liam Hendriks also recently reported gambling-related threats.
