Fanatics and Partners Create the Bad Actor Program to Monitor Abuse
Fanatics Sportsbook and its new partners have created the Bad Actor Program to monitor social media for sports-betting abuse and harassment.
What is the Bad Actor Program?
The Bad Actor Program was created by Fanatics Sportsbook and its new partners in the endeavor, Integrity Compliance 360 and Signify Group. The program will use social media to determine whether athletes, coaches, or officials are being harassed by sports bettors and others.
According to the Fanatics Sportsbook release, those targeted are encouraged to share the private messages with the program for analysis.
IC360’s ProhiBet is a similar program that helps curb sports betting by people with ties to the sporting event.
More gambling brands could join
The Bad Actors Program will create a list of people who have been abusive on social media, and sportsbooks can then block them from using their services. Fanatics Sportsbook is currently the only betting platform in the program, but the main goal is to get all of the top sportsbooks and prediction market platforms to join.
Matt King, the CEO of Fanatics Betting and Gaming, said he hopes other sports betting operators will join the program. It could help ensure that bettors who harass are held accountable for their actions.
“We encourage other operators to join the initiative because there is no sports betting potential loss that should embolden a sports betting customer to threaten or harass an athlete online,” said King.
The expectation is that the Bad Actors Program will launch this year ahead of the NFL season.
Signify leads the way
Signify has been the driving force behind the abuse issue, as its sports clients worldwide have wanted sports betting platforms to address it. The company lauded its partnership with Fanatics Sportsbook for taking action to combat abuse.
Jonathan Hirshler, the CEO of Signify, said, “We commend Fanatics Sportsbook for taking a leadership position on an issue that affects athletes across every sport.
"This is a clear message to anyone who believes threatening, harassing, or abusing athletes online is simply part of being a fan: it is not.”
Social media harassment and abuse the key issues
The harassment and abuse issue has been a major one, and there are currently efforts underway to deal with it.
NCAA President Charlie Baker has asked multiple state sports-betting regulatory bodies to ban player prop bets in college sports. He recently asked the Indiana Gaming Commission (IGC) to ban prop bets, citing athlete harassment as one of the main reasons.
Baker’s requests have come with a mixed bag. Currently, college player prop bets are banned in Ohio, Vermont, Louisiana, and Maryland.
However, last year, two proposals to ban prop bets failed in Colorado and Louisiana. Baker made a similar request to the Missouri Gaming Commission (MGC). The MGC denied the request, arguing that it needed more information because the request was submitted just a month after sports betting was legalized in Missouri.
Both BetMGM and FanDuel have policies that allow bettors to be banned for harassment.
Anti-harassment laws develop
In 2024, West Virginia passed a law that would bar a bettor convicted of harassment from betting on sports in the state.
A similar law in Louisiana will go into effect at the beginning of August.
