Major League Baseball players are raising concerns about an increase in harassment related to sports betting. Cleveland Guardians players recently spoke out about abusive messages from sports bettors. This issue raises concerns about athlete safety and responsible gaming, as online sports betting continues to become embedded in professional sports leagues like MLB.
Guardians’ players went into detail about the verbal abuse hurled at them by sports bettors:
The accounts underscore a broader concern among players that harassment related to sports betting is becoming an expected part of the job. The normalization of this behavior also raises questions for Major League Baseball and its partners about how to balance the growth of sports betting with safeguards that protect athletes from targeted abuse.
As concerns around player harassment from sports bettors continue to increase, MLB can look to the NCAA for an example of how to combat this issue. The NCAA recently launched its “Draw the Line” public service campaign during March Madness, which aimed to raise awareness about the impact of verbal abuse and harassment on student-athletes.
The campaign emphasizes that abusive behavior, whether in person or online, is not an acceptable part of sports culture.
A similar initiative at the professional level could help MLB address this issue. A league-wide campaign could educate fans about the real-world consequences of their actions and signal that abuse tied to gambling losses will not be tolerated.
Recent steps by Major League Baseball to limit micro-betting may also play a role in addressing the rise in harassment directed at players. The league has introduced restrictions on highly specific wagers by capping them at $200 and removing them from parlays.
Microbets focus on isolated moments, such as whether a single pitch will be a ball or a strike. By limiting both the size and structure of these wagers, MLB is attempting to reduce the intensity of those fan reactions.
Smaller bet caps lower the financial stakes tied to any one moment, while removing microbets from parlays reduces the potential for a large payout. This can remove extreme emotional responses.
While these measures were primarily introduced to protect game integrity, they may also have indirect benefits for player well-being. By restricting micro-betting, the league could help curb the type of emotionally charged reactions that often translate into abusive messages directed at athletes.
