Tennis organizations, including the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and the International Tennis Federation (ITF), are pushing for gambling companies to block the accounts of those who send abusive messages to female players.
A report from the WTA and ITF highlighted alarming statistics of harassment in women’s tennis, primarily by disgruntled gamblers. The AI-assisted report by Signify Group identified 458 female tennis players targeted last year, with 40% of social media abuse stemming from gamblers upset over lost bets. This number rose to 77% for abuse directed at players’ personal accounts. Over 8,000 abusive posts were linked to 4,200 accounts, with 26% of these targeting just five players. Online harassment victims have received explicit pictures and death threats.
Since the report’s release, the WTA, ITF, and gambling companies have been in discussions, with some operators agreeing to suspend abusive users. Authorities advocate for gambling firms to fund educational efforts against online hatred. The Gambling Commission is also engaged, proposing to include abusers in the self-exclusion database to prevent access to gambling services.
FanDuel, a leading US gambling operator, has updated its terms to suspend users harassing athletes, expanding its definition of harassment. An email on June 24 informed users of a new clause allowing FanDuel to suspend accounts threatening event participants’ safety. FanDuel, the WTA’s official gaming partner in the US, benefits from WTA’s scoring data and video rights.
- SCCG Management. The Gambling Industry’s Global Connector. Access Here.
- Source: SCCGManagement.com