Fears of addiction rise as sports betting booms among young men
Gen Z journalist Eli Thompson and former gambling addict LJ Ruggiero are sounding the alarm on the rapid rise in sports betting addiction, especially among young men. They highlight the prevalence of online gambling apps, the deceptive nature of small bets that turn into large losses and the impact of gambling addiction compared to substance abuse, calling for early intervention.
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The rise of legalized sports betting has led to an increase in online abuse that athletes have had to face when trying to perform on a daily basis in their respective sports.
Fanatics Sportsbook, which has become the fastest-growing sportsbook in the United States, is trying to combat this social media abuse with a groundbreaking partnership announced Thursday.
Fanatics Sportsbook has partnered with Integrity Compliance 360, Inc. (IC360) and Signify Group to create the Bad Actor Program, designed to tame the online hostility toward athletes that continues to increase on social platforms.
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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 in safeguarding the well-being of everyone involved in legalized sports betting will begin at the start of the football season in the United States, which coincides with the start of college football in late August.
IC360 will work with Signify Group’s Threat Matrix service to monitor targeted abusive and threatening content across multiple social platforms. If problematic abuse and threats against athletes, organizations and teams are detected, the people behind the accounts will be placed in IC360’s ProhiBet Bad Actor program.
This is a platform similar to IC360’s ProhiBet, which allows betting restrictions from athletes, coaches and trainers. The Bad Actor Program will provide sportsbooks with the ability to restrict betting from those who threaten athletes and coaches.
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“This groundbreaking program will hold bettors accountable for threats made against players, coaches and officials,” Matt King, CEO of Fanatics Betting and Gaming, said in a statement. “This aligns with our core values at Fanatics: respect and tolerance for the athletes and coaches who play the games we love. We encourage other operators to join the initiative because there is no potential sports betting loss that should encourage a sports betting customer to threaten or harass an athlete online.”
Additionally, as part of Threat Matrix’s monitoring of global sports competitions, athletes and officials will be encouraged to report abusive direct messages to speed up the process. Once submitted, Signify will analyze the reports, assess the severity of messages and escalate serious cases to its internal specialists for detailed investigation. And if the behavior exceeds the criminal threshold, the appropriate law enforcement agencies will be contacted.
Fanatics Sportsbook will also permanently suspend or terminate a customer’s account if it is determined that the customer has engaged in abusive, threatening, defamatory or harassing conduct of any kind toward sports officials, players or coaches. While the sportsbook has a zero-tolerance policy towards punters who engage in threatening behavior, the Bad Actor program only escalates this key pillar of the business.
The Fanatics Sportsbook app is displayed on a smartphone in New Hyde Park, New York on September 17, 2025. (Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“Threats of violence and harassment in sports in arenas and on social media are increasing at an alarming rate, undermining the integrity of the sports betting industry,” Scott Sadin, co-CEO of IC360, said in a statement. “Addressing individuals with ProhiBet Bad and Threat Matrix is crucial to protecting athletes and other stakeholders from serious and long-term harm.”
Too often, athletes have come forward, sharing their DMs in which sports bettors sent threats, used vulgar language and more. Arthur Bouquier, who was then world number 219 in men’s tennis, revealed a chilling message he received in 2025, in which a punter who had lost his bet: “I will come after you.”
“French tennis is so mediocre at the moment that French players are sticking to playing at home to avoid embarrassment abroad,” read the message to Bouquier. “Let me remind you that you don’t do much when you leave France – it shows the limits of your tennis game.
“I swear to you, if you lose, I will never forgive you. I will hunt down you and your family, just to hurt you, even if it means going to prison. I might as well, because if I lose these 2000 euros, I will be on the street, so my life will no longer have any meaning, I might as well spend my days in prison.”
The Fanatics Sportsbook logo appears on a smartphone in New Hyde Park, New York on September 17, 2025. (Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Fanatics Sportsbook hopes the Bad Actor program will help deter and punish abusive offenders online, while showing those involved in the sports world that they can identify those who cross the line and deal with them accordingly.
As King said, Fanatics Sportsbook hopes the rest of the sports betting world follows suit to maintain the integrity of an industry that continues to evolve.
