Major US sports leagues seek betting bans for harassing bettors

Five major professional sports leagues—the NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, and MLS—along with their respective players' associations, have issued a joint request to gambling regulators in 35 states and the District of Columbia. The group is seeking new protections for athletes, coaches, officials, and team personnel against increasing threats and harassment from sports bettors.

The leagues are calling for rules that would permanently revoke betting privileges for individuals found to have engaged in violent threats or abusive harassment. They are also advocating for a standardized, cross-state reporting system and exclusion lists to ensure that a ban in one jurisdiction is recognized in others.

The request highlights a rise in targeted abuse, particularly concerning player-proposition bets where bettors direct hostility toward individuals based on specific statistical performances. While states like Ohio, West Virginia, Louisiana, and Wyoming already have mechanisms to exclude bad actors, the leagues are urging broader, unified regulatory action across the country.