Some states already limit college player prop bets or wagers on in-state teams. Still, a recent NCAA harassment study underscores concerns about online sports betting, social media, and its impact on student-athletes.
The NCAA commissioned Signify Group to track all forms of harassment directed at student-athletes. Signify’s AI-generated “Threat Matrix” directly tied sports betting to 12% of the online harassment experienced by athletes. According to the NCAA’s Oct. 10, 2024 report:
- About 18% of the abuse was sexual in nature.
- 10% of the abuse included racist content.
- 9% was homophobic or transphobic.
- 6% included threats of violence.
Some abuse can overlap, the NCAA said.
“Deeper analysis suggests that much of the abuse in other categories (e.g., sexism, racism, etc.) was influenced by sports-betting behaviors.”
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A whopping 80% of the online abuse centered around men’s and women’s March Madness, according to the Signify algorithms. Student-athletes in women’s basketball received about three times as many threats as their male counterparts.
“Online abuse and cyberbullying have no place in our society or college athletics,” Purdue men’s basketball coach Matt Painter said. “Thousands of student-athletes across the country face harassment every day on social media. And, the bullying can affect their mental health well-being, causing stress, depression and suicidal thoughts.
“The increased exposure to online gambling only exacerbates the online abuse, with many student-athletes receiving death threats via social media,” Painter continued. “We are asking all social media companies and platforms to do more to identify and remove these online threats and make their platforms safer for everyone.”
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Signify Group’s AI-based algorithm flagged more than 72,000 messages as part of the harassment study. The NCAA said the volume “demonstrates how susceptible student-athletes, coaches, officials, and their families are to being exposed to serious risks.”
While Painter focused on social media, NCAA President Charlie Baker asked state regulators to play a role as well. In a March 27, 2024, post on X, he asked states to remove college prop bets from their allowed wagers catalogs.
Duke Vice President and Director of Athletics Nina King said the NCAA welcomes the positive support and dedication from fans.
But, she added, the NCAA “will not tolerate any form of abuse that threatens student-athlete mental health and well-being. There is absolutely no place for harassment or discrimination of any kind in college sports.”
For its part, the American Gaming Association has a marketing code to promote responsible online sports betting, including:
- Respecting the legal age for sports wagering
- Limiting college and university advertising
- Supporting responsible gaming and
- Controlling digital media and websites.
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