NCAA Says 1-in-3 Star Athletes Receive Death Threats, Abusive Messages from Bettors

One third of all "high-profile" college athletes receive abusive messages including death threats from people who are betting on their sport, according to an NCAA report published Friday.

Overall, "higher-profile events with sports betting markets attract increased volumes of abuse or threats," the NCAA concluded.

The report is based on data collected during the 2023-24 NCAA championship season, the organization stated.

The NCAA said it is responding to this increase in abusive messages by lobbying states for changes in betting-related laws.

The organization is lobbying states to ban prop bets on college athletes, which the NCAA said "target the individual for harassment and are more easily manipulated, threatening competition integrity."

The NCAA is also asking states to implement reporting systems allowing bans on bettors who harass student-athletes, the organization said.

Part of the data collection involved analysis of messages directed toward D-I men's and women's basketball players during March Madness.

The event was a significant draw for bettors, with the American Gaming Association estimating that the men's and women's tournament would involve $2.72 billion in legal wagers.

The impact of these wagers on student-athletes drew attention in March when UNC star Armando Bacot told reporters he was receiving hundreds of messages from frustrated bettors.

NCAA analysis found 4,000 total messages sent during the tournament that were confirmed as "abusive or threatening," some of which were sent to law enforcement, according to the organization.

Women competing in the tournament were about three times more likely to receive threats than male student-athletes, the NCAA said.

The NCAA added that other people related to the games, including officials and administrators, also received threats.

This is not the first time the NCAA has expressed concern over the pressure legalized sports betting puts on student-athletes. NCAA president Charlie Baker wrote a letter to schools in March warning about betting-associated abuse being sent to star student-athletes, according to The Guardian's Tom Dart.