The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has launched Bet on Respect, a new reporting and exclusion process aimed at bettors who harass athletes online or in person. People found responsible can be barred from sports wagering and casino access in Massachusetts, and they are directed to information about gambling-harm resources.
In an Aug. 31 announcement, PlayUSA said the program builds on Massachusetts law and regulation 205 CMR 152, which already let it exclude problem bettors. Bet on Respect applies that authority specifically to abuse aimed at athletes and others connected with wagered-on events.
A new reporting portal sits at the centre of the system. Leagues, players’ associations, college athletics programs, sports venues and athletes can file suspected cases there, and witnesses can flag incidents too. Each report goes to the commission’s Investigations and Enforcement Bureau, and excluded patrons have a 30-day appeal window.
Commission chair Jordan Maynard drew a line between ordinary fan behavior and abuse. Good-natured cheering and jeering are part of sporting events, he said, but sports wagering is an activity for adults and should not become a pretext for intimidation. The commission said it hopes the tool will be used sparingly.
To promote the initiative, the commission released a video featuring commissioners and members of the Boston Bruins, Boston Celtics, Boston Red Sox and New England Revolution. Support also came from Boston Legacy FC, the New England Patriots, the NCAA, DraftKings, FanDuel, BetMGM, Caesars, Bally Bet, Fanatics Betting and Gaming, Encore Boston Harbor and Penn Entertainment’s Plainridge Park Casino, and the commission said it plans to keep expanding the partner list as the effort grows.
The commission cited NCAA findings showing that 51% of Division I men’s basketball players had faced online abuse tied to their performance, and 46% said the harassment was directly connected to sports betting outcomes. The agency presented Bet on Respect as a response to that pattern, in a state that has already built formal enforcement tools around athlete harassment tied to wagering.
