Share 
Fanatics Sportsbook has partnered with Signify Group and Integrity Compliance 360 (IC360) to launch the Bad Actor Program, a new initiative designed to identify and penalize sports bettors who harass athletes, coaches and officials online.
The program comes as leagues, sportsbooks and regulators face growing pressure to address sports betting-related abuse on social media. According to a June 2026 announcement from Fanatics, the initiative is expected to begin at the start of the upcoming football season.
Fanatics is currently the first sportsbook operator participating in the program, although IC360 and Signify Group said they hope additional sportsbooks and prediction market platforms will join.
How the Fanatics Bad Actor Program works
The Bad Actor Program combines Signify Group’s AI-driven Threat Matrix monitoring technology with IC360’s ProhiBet Bad Actor platform. Threat Matrix scans public-facing social media platforms, including X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube, for abusive or threatening content directed at athletes, coaches, teams and officials. Athletes and officials can also report abusive direct messages for investigation.
When threatening or harassing conduct is confirmed, the individuals involved may be added to the ProhiBet Bad Actor database. Participating sportsbooks can then suspend or permanently ban those customers from wagering platforms. In severe cases, evidence may also be referred to law enforcement agencies if the conduct appears to cross criminal thresholds.
The system is modeled in part after IC360’s existing ProhiBet platform, which helps sportsbooks identify athletes, coaches and other restricted individuals who are prohibited from placing wagers.
Growing concerns over betting-related harassment
The initiative follows several reports highlighting the rise of online abuse tied to sports wagering. The NCAA previously reported that sports betting contributed to a significant share of abusive social media messages directed at student-athletes during championship events.
NCAA President Charlie Baker has repeatedly called on states to ban player proposition bets on college sports, arguing that the wagers increase harassment directed at athletes.
Several states and sportsbooks have already introduced policies aimed at addressing the issue. Louisiana approved legislation allowing bettors connected to athlete harassment to be added to the state’s excluded persons list, potentially restricting access to sportsbooks. West Virginia enacted similar measures in 2024.
Sportsbook operators have also begun strengthening enforcement policies. BetMGM announced updated customer conduct policies earlier this year, while FanDuel previously banned a bettor after a viral video showed him verbally harassing Olympic gold medalist Gabby Thomas during a track meet.
Fanatics urges other sportsbooks to join the initiative
Signify Group CEO Jonathan Hirshler said sports organizations have increasingly pushed betting operators to take stronger action against abusive behavior online.
“We commend Fanatics Sportsbook for taking a leadership position on an issue that affects athletes across every sport,” Hirshler said in the announcement. “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.”
Fanatics Betting and Gaming CEO Matt King also encouraged other sportsbooks to participate in the initiative, arguing that abusive behavior should not be tolerated across the industry. “There is no sports betting potential loss that should embolden a sports betting customer to threaten or harass an athlete online,” King said.
If additional operators adopt the system, the Bad Actor Program could become one of the sports betting industry’s most coordinated efforts to deter online abuse and improve protections for athletes, coaches and officials.
