Fears of addiction grow as sports betting booms among young men
Gen Z journalist Eli Thompson and recovered gambling addict LJ Ruggiero raise the alarm about 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 escalate into significant losses, and the impact of gambling addiction compared to drug addiction, and call for early intervention.
NEWYou can now listen to Pakinomist articles!
The rise of legalized sports betting has led to an increase in online abuse that athletes have had to deal with while 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 social media abuse with a groundbreaking partnership announced Thursday.
Fanatics Sportsbook has partnered with Integrity Compliance 360, Inc. (IC360) and Signify Group to establish the Bad Actor Program, designed to tame the online hostility toward athletes that is on the rise across social platforms.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Pakinomist
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 ensuring the welfare of all involved in legalized sports betting begins with the start of the football season in the United States, which comes with the start of college football in late August.
IC360 will partner with Signify Group’s Threat Matrix service to monitor for targeted abuse and threatening content across multiple social platforms. If problematic abuse and threats against athletes, organizations and teams are detected, the individuals behind the account will be placed in IC360’s ProhiBet Bad Actor program.
It is a similar platform to IC360’s ProhiBet, which helps limit bets from athletes, coaches and trainers. The Bad Actor program will allow sportsbooks to limit bets from those who threaten athletes and coaches.
PRO TENNIS PLAYER REFUSES SCARING MESSAGE FROM SPORTS BETTER: ‘I WILL COME AFTER YOU’
“This groundbreaking program will hold players accountable for threats against players, coaches and officials,” Matt King, CEO of Fanatics Betting and Gaming, said in a statement. “It 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 loss of sports betting that should encourage a sports betting customer to threaten or harass an athlete online.”
As part of Threat Matrix’s monitoring of global sports competitions, athletes and officials will also be encouraged to report abusive direct messages to speed up the process. Once submitted, Signify will analyze reports, assess the seriousness of the messages and escalate serious cases to its internal specialists for detailed investigation. And if behavior crosses a criminal threshold, the appropriate law enforcement authorities will be contacted.
Fanatics Sportsbook will also suspend or permanently close a customer’s account if it is determined that they have engaged in abusive, threatening, defamatory or harassing behavior of any kind against sports officials, players or coaches. Since the sportsbook enforces a zero-tolerance policy for players who engage in threatening behavior, the Bad Actor program only escalates that key pillar of the business.
The Fanatics Sportsbook app is displayed on a smartphone in New Hyde Park, NY 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 the individuals with the ProhiBet Bad and Threat Matrix is critical to protecting athletes and other stakeholders from serious, long-term harm.”
Too many times athletes have come forward and shared their direct messages where sports bettors have sent threats, used vulgar language and more. Arthur Bouquier, who at the time was the No. 219 ranked men’s tennis player in the world, revealed a terrifying message he received in 2025 in which a player who lost his bet, “I will come after you.”
“French tennis is so mediocre right now that French players stick to playing at home to avoid embarrassment abroad,” read the message to Bouquier. “Let me remind you that you do not achieve much when you leave France – it shows the limits 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. I might as well, because if I lose this 2000 euros, I will be on the street, so my life has no meaning anymore – I might as well spend my days in jail.”
The Fanatics Sportsbook logo is displayed on a smartphone in New Hyde Park, NY on September 17, 2025. (Gabby Jones/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pakinomist APP
Fanatics Sportsbook hopes the Bad Actor program helps deter and punish violent online criminals, while showing those involved in the world of sports 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.
