New NCAA Campaign Targets Sports Betting Abuse of Athletes
The NCAA has released a new video as part of its Draw the Line campaign, which aims to tackle the growing issue of harassment and abuse directed at student-athletes by fans angered over lost bets.
LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE:One of Several NCAA Initiatives
Titled “Don’t Be a Loser”, the ad will air throughout the men’s and women’s March Madness tournament broadcasts and be shared online. This latest effort is one of several initiatives the NCAA has launched in response to the rapid growth of sports betting. So far, more than 100,000 student-athletes have received education on sports betting risks and gambling harm prevention through in-person training with EPIC Global Solutions as well as online learning modules.
The NCAA also monitors over 22,000 competitions through the world’s most extensive global integrity surveillance system. Additionally, advocacy efforts have led 18 states and Washington, D.C., to ban player prop bets, a move intended to reduce the pressure and harassment student-athletes face from bettors.
Thousands of student-athletes, coaches, and committee members are also protected through harassment monitoring services provided by Signify, and multiple surveys have been conducted to analyze sports betting trends among 18- to 22-year-olds, the challenges compliance directors face on campuses, and the gambling behaviors and attitudes of student-athletes.
$3.1 Billion to Be Bet on March Madness
The video was unveiled during the first week of the Division I Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships, which is the most bet-upon sporting event in the United States. According to a recent report from the American Gaming Association, an estimated $3.1 billion will be legally bet on this year’s basketball tournaments, a figure that more than doubles the amount wagered on the Super Bowl.
As part of its continued efforts, the NCAA is working with Signify Group to track and monitor harassment directed at student-athletes, coaches, and officials participating in NCAA Championships, including those involved in March Madness. A study conducted last year found that one in three student-athletes received abusive messages from individuals with a gambling interest. Of those threats, 80 percent were directed at players competing in March Madness, with female basketball student-athletes experiencing nearly three times more harassment than their male counterparts.
Related: Lawmakers Revive SAFE Bet Act as March Madness Nears
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NCAA President Condemns Abuse
The NCAA President, Charlie Baker, released a statement with the advert condemning the rising levels of abuse:
The horrific messages we are seeing across online platforms is absolutely unacceptable. 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. We need fans to do better. We need states to do better and ban player props that target student-athletes and enable detrimental abuse.
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