March Madness is one of the most anticipated sporting events in the United States but it has been the cloud nine for the bettors. However, as sports betting continues to expand, the NCAA is raising concerns over the growing threats and abuse directed at student-athletes. NCAA President Charlie Baker has sounded the alarm about the “vicious and brutal” nature of gambling-related harassment and the urgent need for reforms.
NCAA launches sports betting anti-harassment campaign
The NCAA has launched a new video to address the alarming rise in abuse as part of its “Draw the Line” campaign. Titled “Don’t Be a Loser,” the public awareness initiative specifically shows the disturbing trend of bettors harassing college athletes over lost wagers. The campaign will air during both the men’s and women’s March Madness tournaments and across online platforms.
This initiative is just one of several measures the NCAA has implemented to counteract gambling harm. Over 100,000 student-athletes have received sports betting education through in-person training and online learning. Additionally, 22,000 contests are now under global integrity monitoring to detect suspicious betting patterns.
The organization has also worked on advocacy efforts which led to 18 states and Washington, D.C., banning player prop bets (wagers placed on individual athletes’ performances). This restriction aims to shield players from threats and harassment by preventing bettors from directly tying financial stakes to their actions.
March Madness expected to reach $3.1 Billion bets
According to the American Gaming Association, an estimated $3.1 billion will be legally wagered on March Madness this year, surpassing the amount bet on the Super Bowl.
NCAA data reveals that one in three student-athletes received hostile messages from bettors last year. Women’s basketball players face three times more threats than their male counterparts.
Charlie Baker has taken a strong stance against the abuse, “The horrific messages we are seeing across online platforms are absolutely unacceptable,” he stated. “Angry fans are sending numerous abusive messages and threats to student-athletes, publicly and privately, because of lost bets placed on the athlete’s performance in a game. These actions severely threaten student-athlete mental health and well-being while harming the college athletics environment.”
He went onto add, “Go sit behind the bench at one of these conference tournaments and listen to the bettors yelling and screaming at these kids about their performance. ‘You need to do better! I’m losing money on you!’ Or there’s the stuff that shows up online, which we track at our tournaments, and it is way more vicious and brutal than that.”
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The NCAA is urging the remaining states to follow suit and ban player prop bets in college sports. Additionally, the association continues to collaborate with integrity firms to monitor online harassment and betting activity closely.
The Final Four is set for April 5 and 7 at San Antonio’s Alamodome.
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