In the current digital age, it does not take athletes much effort to come across people who have something negative to say about them. Behind the veil of social media is a group of people who are ready to chip in their voice without being invited to. The problem is that some of these contributions can go too far –especially in matters regarding sports bettors threatening athletes.
States across the United States are now taking a look at options they can take to make their regulations relevant in safeguarding the safety of sports personalities as well as their families. In the most recent budget for Ohio that was just approved, there was a provision for the Casino Control Commission of Ohio to punish bettors by exclusion for committing certain acts.
The people of Illinois have warmed up to sports betting rather quickly and owing to the growing popularity, state regulators worry that they do not have a lot of time to address the issue. In Illinois currently, the state has not made any provisions to prosecute bettors who are caught threatening athletes.
What we cover
Threatening athletes is prohibited under the Illinois Sports Wagering Act
According to a new provision under Ohio sports betting, which was featured in the approved fiscal year budget of 2024-2025, state regulators are allowed to ban it. A sports bettor can either be banned temporarily or permanently based on the level of threat leveled against an athlete. This is the first provision to ever be approved in a state where sports betting is legalized.
This should not be taken to mean that states do not have regulations in place that have been purposely installed to safeguard the interests of athletes. Even before Illinois sports betting was granted permission to effect this regulation, threats made against athletes were handled at the courts. This is irrespective of the fact that they had not yet taken the step that is currently being taken in Ohio.
The Sports Wagering Act of Illinois prohibits the threatening of sports officials, athletes, or members of their families in matters concerning the result of a gaming contest. The legislation identifies this as “prohibited conduct” and the term can be used to reference statements or actions that threaten a sportsperson or people closely associated with them.
Although the act does not categorically put a measure on the action that will be taken on an employee found to be guilty of this offense, it is consoling for victims to know that their plight has been understood. Without a clear outcome of what will happen to the perpetrators, people will now think twice before engaging in such acts.
The spokesperson of the Illinois Gaming Board, Beth Kaufman in a recent press statement revealed that the regulator will be handling such threats but assured the public that they would take action as needed. The Illinois Criminal Code as well as other federal criminal law statutes will be addressing actual and attempted incidents of harassment, threats, and assaults. Will some people face a total ban from EZP sports betting? Well, current laws do not offer provisions for such action.
Illinois AD highlights college athlete harassment
When the lawmakers of Illinois passed the debut bill which was purposed at legalizing sports betting in Illinois in 2019, the main prohibition was a ban on in-state college athletics wagering. Two years later in 2021, the Governor JB Pritzker ascended a bill to allow betting on college teams when they play in-state. Placing of bets can also be done by an individual through the land-based sportsbooks within the state.
Since that time, some lawmakers have made attempts to scale in-state betting on college teams to be included in online sportsbooks without urgency. The athletic director at the University of Illinois, Josh Whitman, recently raised concerns against the expansion of in-state college betting onto online sportsbooks.
In April, Whitman addressed a state House committee mentioning how difficult the past two years have been in terms of in-state college wagering being too difficult on college athletes. He spoke about how the things that they had been worried about had in the long run become reality. Athletes who are also students are at the highest risk of falling victim to online abusers – the words used to ridicule them are very hostile.
The committee members present at this sitting were provided with samples of the abuse messages sent to players after bets had flopped. Considering that many of these players are only 17, 18, and 19 years old, they have become the subject of abuse for the misfortunes of the billion-dollar gambling industry. Philosophically, this is a case of someone taking the blame for something they have no control over. Of course, putting pressure on players to perform can push them to do well but expecting to win all the time chocks the very essence of gambling which is win/lose.
Although there is no concrete data to support the fact that the rate of abuse of college athletes in Illinois has increased, this has been gradual for the last two years. Well, part of the reason for this is the explosion in the uptake of online sports betting. According to an Illinois law that was effected in 2022, residents of the state are free to register on online sportsbooks. Before then, casino customers were required to physically sign up at a land-based casino.
Conclusion
The discussion around the online harassment of college athletes has just recently found its way to the limelight. This was well demonstrated after it was discovered that cyber-attacks had been wagered against the University of Dayton men’s basketball team. After their lead of 14 points, the team was overturned by Virginia Commonwealth University. Whether the lawmakers of Illinois will follow in the footsteps of Ohio and impose bans is anyone’s guess.
