MLB Players Face Rising Threats from Bettors as Betting in Baseball Grows

Sports betting has created a new occupational hazard for MLB players, one that both the league and its players' union appear willing to tolerate in exchange for financial opportunity.  

During labor talks in Philadelphia this week, Commissioner Rob Manfred and MLBPA interim executive director Bruce Meyer disagreed on nearly every issue heading toward a possible December lockout, yet found common ground on one point: if legal betting and prediction markets exist, both the league and its players should profit from them. 

Meyer acknowledged that legalized wagering has subjected players to ongoing harassment and threats, even as the union struck a multiyear licensing deal with Hard Rock Bet earlier this year, which puts players' likenesses directly into that operator's betting products. Meyer defended the arrangement by arguing players deserve the same access to betting partnerships that team owners already have. 

Relief pitchers in particular say they absorb the brunt of angry messages after games, since their outings often decide betting outcomes. Some cases have escalated well beyond social media insults.  

Houston pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. needed round-the-clock security after an intoxicated bettor threatened his family, and authorities later tracked down the person responsible. Two Cleveland pitchers also face federal charges connected to an alleged pitch-fixing scheme tied to prop betting. 

The players' union has pushed during collective bargaining for a joint effort with MLB to eliminate prop bets altogether, but previous attempts have faced pushback from the best sports betting sites and others. It asserts that they invite more targeted forms of harassment than standard game wagers. 

Sportsbook operator rolls out new protections

That tension between profiting from gambling and protecting players from its consequences has not gone unnoticed by the betting industry itself. BetMGM announced in February an Athlete Anti-Harassment Policy that allows the company to suspend or permanently close a customer's account if found guilty of threatening, harassing, or defaming athletes, coaches, officials, or others connected to sporting events. 

Rhea Loney, the company's chief compliance officer, said the policy targets conduct that crosses from ordinary criticism into intimidation, arguing that such behavior damages both individuals and the broader integrity of sports.  

The announcement followed public comments from players describing an increase in hostile messages tied to prop bets, including Boston pitcher Lucas Giolito, who said he raised the issue directly with Manfred earlier this year. 

Loney said BetMGM is able to draw on identity verification data collected during customer registration to help identify offenders. The company may also coordinate with law enforcement and state regulators, depending on the severity of a complaint.  

Reports can be submitted to BetMGM's customer service team, an anonymous hotline, or directly to authorities. Loney added that the update was meant to make the company's existing enforcement authority more explicit rather than introduce an entirely new standard, and to send a clear signal to bettors that threatening behavior will not be tolerated on the platform.