Fanatics Sportsbook is launching a program to prevent bettors who threaten athletes
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The rise of legal sports betting has led to an increase in internet abuse that athletes have had to deal with while trying to perform every day in their sports.
Fanatics Sportsbook, already the fastest-growing sportsbook in the United States, is trying to combat this social media abuse with a partnership announced Thursday.
Fanatics Sportsbook has partnered with Integrity Compliance 360, Inc. (IC360) and the Signify Group to launch the Bad Actor Program, designed to defuse online hostility towards athletes, which has been on the rise on social media.
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A team member stands inside the Fanatics Sportsbook at the Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, NJ, on September 14, 2025. (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)
This important step to protect the welfare of everyone involved in legalized sports betting will begin at the start of the US football season, which culminates in the start of college football in late August.
IC360 will work with Signify Group’s Threat Matrix service to analyze targeted offensive and threatening content across multiple social media platforms. If problematic abuse and threats to athletes, organizations and teams are detected, those people behind the accounts will be included in IC360’s ProhiBet Bad Actor program.
It is the same platform as IC360’s ProhiBet, which helps limit betting on athletes, coaches and trainers. The Bad Actor program will provide sportsbooks with the power to limit betting by those who threaten athletes and coaches.
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“This important initiative will hold bettors accountable for threats made by players, coaches and officials,” said Matt King, CEO of Fanatics Betting and Gaming, in a statement. “It is in line with our core values at Fanatics – respect and tolerance for the athletes and coaches who play the sports we love. We encourage other sports users to join this program because no potential loss in sports betting should encourage a sports betting customer to threaten or harass an athlete online.”
Also, as part of the Threat Matrix monitoring of global sports competitions, athletes and officials will be encouraged to report direct abusive messages to speed up the process. Once sent, Signify will analyze the reports, assess the sensitivity of the messages and refer sensitive cases to its internal experts for further investigation. And if the behavior crosses the criminal threshold, the appropriate law enforcement agencies will be contacted.
Fanatics Sportsbook will also suspend or permanently terminate a customer’s account if they are found to have engaged in abusive, threatening, abusive or harassing behavior of any kind towards sports officials, players or coaches. Since the sportsbook enforces a zero-tolerance policy on bettors who engage in threatening behavior, the Bad Actor program expands on that mainstay of the company.
The Fanatics Sportsbook app is shown on a smartphone in New Hyde Park, NY, on September 17, 2025. (Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“Threats of violence and abuse in sports on the forums and on social media are growing at an alarming rate, undermining the reputation of the sports betting industry,” said Scott Sadin, CEO of IC360, in a statement. “Talking to people about the ProhiBet Bad and Threat Matrix is critical to protecting athletes and other stakeholders from serious long-term injuries.”
Many times athletes come forward, share their direct messages when sports bettors send threats, use abusive language and much more. Arthur Bouquier, a former men’s tennis player who was ranked number 219 in the world at the time, revealed the shocking message he received in 2025, when a bettor lost his badge, “I will follow you.”
“French tennis is at such a low level at the moment that French players stick to playing at home to avoid embarrassment abroad,” read the message to Bouquier. “Let me remind you that you don’t gain much from France – it shows the limit of your tennis game.
“I swear, if you lose, I will never forgive you. I will track you and your family just to hurt you, even if it means going to jail. It’s possible, because if I lose this 2000 euros, I’ll be on the street, so my life won’t make sense anymore – I might spend my days in jail.”
The Fanatics Sportsbook logo appears on a smartphone in New Hyde Park, NY, on September 17, 2025. (Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Fanatics Sportsbook hopes the Bad Actor program helps deter and punish online offenders, while showing those involved in sports that they can identify those who cross the line and deal with them accordingly.
As King said, Fanatics Sportsbook hopes that the rest of the sports betting world will follow the integrity of the industry that continues to evolve.
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