Addiction fears grow as sports betting increases among young men
Generation Z journalist Eli Thompson and recovered gambling addict LJ Ruggiero raise the alarm about the rapid rise of sports betting addiction, especially among young men. They highlight the prevalence of online gambling apps, the deceptive nature of small bets that lead to significant losses, and the impact of gambling addiction compared to substance abuse, and urge 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 deal with as they try 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 monitor online hostility toward athletes, which is steadily increasing on social platforms.
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A team member stands inside the Fanatics Sportsbook at Ocean Casino Resort in Atlantic City, New Jersey, on September 14, 2025. (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)
This important step to safeguard the well-being of everyone involved in legalized sports betting will begin at the start of the U.S. football season, which coincides with the start of college football in late August.
IC360 will collaborate with Signify Group’s Threat Matrix service to monitor targeted abusive and threatening content across multiple social platforms. If problematic abuse and threats towards athletes, organizations and teams are detected, the people behind the accounts will be included in IC360’s ProhiBet Bad Actor program.
It is a platform similar to IC360’s ProhiBet, which helps restrict betting by athletes, coaches and trainers. The Bad Actor program will give sportsbooks the ability to restrict betting by those who threaten athletes and coaches.
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“This innovative 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. “It’s in line 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 in sports betting 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 the messages and refer serious cases to its internal specialists for detailed investigation. And if the behavior crosses the criminal threshold, the appropriate law enforcement agencies will be contacted.
Fanatics Sportsbook will also permanently suspend or terminate a customer’s account if they are determined to have engaged in abusive, threatening, defamatory or harassing conduct of any kind toward sports officials, players or coaches. Since the sportsbook operates a zero-tolerance policy for bettors who engage in threatening behavior, the Bad Actor program only intensifies that key pillar of the company.
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 stadiums 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. “Targeting people with ProhiBet Bad and Threat Matrix is crucial to protecting athletes and other stakeholders from serious long-term harm.”
Too many times athletes have come forward and shared their direct messages in which sports bettors have sent threats, used vulgar language, and more. Arthur Bouquier, who was the world’s No. 219 male tennis player at the time, revealed a terrifying message he received in 2025, in which a bettor who lost his bet said: “I’ll come for you.”
“French tennis is now so mediocre that French players limit themselves to playing at home to avoid embarrassing situations abroad,” the message to Bouquier said. “Let me remind you that you don’t achieve much when you leave France; it shows the limits of your tennis game.
“I swear that if you lose, I will never forgive you. I will go after you and your family just to hurt you, even if it means going to prison. I might as well do it, because if I lose these 2000 euros, I will be on the street, so my life will no longer have 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 online offenders, 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 will do the same to maintain the integrity of an industry that continues to evolve.
