Share 
Massachusetts regulators have launched a new initiative that could block sports bettors who harass athletes from betting in the state and from entering its three casinos, a move that adds to a policy trend West Virginia joined in 2024.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission said its new Bet on Respect program allows leagues, players’ associations, college athletic programs, and sports venues to self-report suspected harassment, whether it happens online or in person. Reports will be reviewed by the MGC’s Sports Wagering Division and Investigations and Enforcement Bureau.
MGC Chairman Jordan Maynard said athletes and others involved in games “deserve to be free of intimidation during and surrounding competition.”
How the Massachusetts program works
The commission said the initiative is tied to Massachusetts gaming regulation 205 CMR 152, which covers involuntary exclusion and ejection from licensed gaming establishments and sports betting platforms.
After a report is submitted, the Investigations and Enforcement Bureau can continue investigating, decide the conduct does not meet exclusion standards, or begin the exclusion process. People placed on the exclusion list are notified by first-class mail and have 30 days to appeal.
The initiative has support from several Boston-area teams and the NCAA, as well as operators and casino companies including Bally Bet, BetMGM, Caesars Entertainment, DraftKings, Fanatics Betting and Gaming, FanDuel, and Penn Entertainment. FanDuel said it maintains a “zero-tolerance policy” toward abusive conduct.
The MGC also cited an NCAA study that found 51% of Division I men’s basketball players faced online abuse tied to athletic performance, while 46% said the abuse was directly connected to gambling.
West Virginia already passed a similar measure
The CDC Gaming report noted that West Virginia passed House Bill 4700 in 2024. That law allows the state lottery commission to ban people from sports betting for harassing or showing a pattern of harmful conduct toward anyone involved in sporting events.
Louisiana has also moved in the same direction. According to the report, Gov. Jeff Landry signed Senate Bill 325 in May, requiring the Louisiana Gaming Control Board to exclude people from sports betting if they threaten violence or harm against someone involved in a sporting event when the conduct is related to sports gaming. That law took effect on Aug. 1.
For West Virginia bettors, the Massachusetts action does not change access in the state. But it does show more regulators are using exclusion powers, not just criminal penalties, to address gambling-related abuse directed at athletes and others involved in sporting events.
—
Source: As reported by cdcgaming.com.
