NFL, MLB, NBA, other pro leagues band together to crack down on betting-related harassment; WNBPA slams exclusion
sports.yahoo.com • • sports
Key Points:
- The NFL, NBA, MLS, NHL, and MLB, along with their unions, released a joint statement addressing betting-related harassment of players, coaches, and families, condemning threats and proposing punishments for offenders.
- The leagues recommended actions for State Gaming Commissions and Regulatory Authorities, including mandatory lifetime bans for harassing fans, streamlined reporting mechanisms, and operator accountability to monitor and ban abusive accounts.
- This initiative follows recent partnerships between professional sports leagues and sportsbooks or betting operators, such as the NFL's deals with FanDuel, DraftKings, and Fanatics Betting and Gaming, and MLB's ongoing partnership with FanDuel.
- The WNBA and its players' union (WNBPA) were notably excluded from the joint statement; WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson criticized the NBA for not including WNBA players despite their experiences with betting-related harassment.
- Both the NBA and WNBA maintain webpages listing their official gaming partners, highlighting ongoing collaborations with betting operators despite the exclusion in the joint harassment statement.
