Share 
Sports wagering was supposed to add excitement to the games Massachusetts fans already love. Instead, regulators say it has opened a new channel for abuse that reaches athletes directly through their phones.
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) responded on Aug. 31 with Bet on Respect, an initiative to identify bettors who cross the line from passionate fandom into harassment. Once flagged, those bettors will lose access to legal wagering.
A direct response to a growing problem
The commission built the program around state law and its own regulation, 205 CMR 152, which already lets Massachusetts exclude problem bettors from sports wagering and casinos. Bet on Respect applies that authority specifically to people who harass athletes, whether the abuse happens online or in person.
Commission Chair Jordan Maynard called the effort a matter of basic decency, not an attack on passionate fandom.
“Good-natured cheering and jeering are acceptable and even expected at sporting events, but sports wagering is an activity for adults, and adults should know better than to cross the line into harassment,” Maynard said.
He added that he hopes the responsible gambling tool sees limited use, since most patrons already know the difference between rooting for a team and threatening a player.
How to report athlete harassment cases
At the center of the initiative is a new online portal where leagues, players’ associations, college athletic programs, venues and athletes themselves can report suspected harassment. Anyone who witnesses an incident can also flag it, either through the portal or by emailing the commission directly.
Each report triggers a review by the commission’s Investigations and Enforcement Bureau. Bettors found to have harassed athletes face involuntary exclusion from wagering and casino access statewide, with the option to appeal within 30 days. Those excluded will also receive information about resources for people struggling with gambling-related harm.
Pro athletes back the campaign
To promote the launch, the commission released a video featuring commissioners alongside members of the Boston Bruins, Boston Celtics, Boston Red Sox and New England Revolution. The athletes speak directly to bettors about the line between passion and abuse.
Their involvement reflects evidence that the problem extends well beyond professional locker rooms and into college sports. The NCAA has found that 51% of Division I men’s basketball players have faced online abuse tied to their performance, and 46% of those athletes said the harassment was directly connected to sports betting outcomes.
Bet on Respect launched with support already secured from a broad list of professional sports teams and operators, including the Boston Bruins, Celtics, Red Sox, Boston Legacy FC, the New England Patriots and Revolution, and the NCAA.
Sportsbook operators DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars, Bally Bet and Fanatics have also joined, along with casino operators Encore Boston Harbor and Penn Entertainment’s Plainridge Park Casino. The MGC Bet on Respect blog post said it plans to keep expanding that list as the initiative grows.
Massachusetts sets national enforcement example
The commission has framed sports betting as entertainment, not a license for hostility toward the people playing the games. Officials say everyone connected to a wagered-on event, from athletes to officials, deserves protection from intimidation.
Massachusetts is among a small number of states that have built formal enforcement tools around athlete harassment tied to betting, a sign that regulators nationally are treating the issue as more than an occasional nuisance.
With major professional franchises and leading operators already on board, Bet on Respect gives Massachusetts one of the more comprehensive frameworks yet for holding abusive bettors accountable.
