The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) has introduced Bet on Respect, an athlete protection initiative that allows bettors found to have engaged in harassment to be excluded from sports wagering and casino properties across the state.
The program uses the MGC's existing involuntary exclusion powers under 205 CMR 152, which governs individuals barred from gaming and sports wagering.
Massachusetts law permits the regulator to maintain an exclusion list that licensed sportsbooks must enforce.
Under Bet on Respect, athletes, leagues, players' associations, college athletic programs, sports venues and other parties can report suspected abuse.
The MGC's Sports Wagering Division will gather evidence and can work with licensed operators to identify individuals responsible for online harassment.
Cases meeting the regulatory criteria are then referred to its Investigations and Enforcement Bureau.
The initiative follows changes to Massachusetts' exclusion regulation in December 2025 and comes more than three years after retail and online sports wagering launched in the state in January and March 2023, respectively.
Massachusetts' action also follows a wider NCAA campaign for state regulators to address betting-related harassment.
The NCAA has advocated for exclusion mechanisms alongside restrictions on college player proposition bets, with several jurisdictions taking action on athlete protection measures.
Research released by the NCAA in February found 51% of Division I men's basketball student-athletes experienced social media abuse relating to their athletic performance.
Some 46% reported receiving negative or threatening messages from someone who had bet on their game.
Massachusetts Gaming Commission Chair, Jordan Maynard, said: "Athletes, officials, and others associated with games being wagered on deserve to be free of intimidation during and surrounding competition."
The regulator has also enlisted Massachusetts professional sports organizations, the NCAA and licensed gambling operators to support the initiative. The state's regulated market currently includes seven mobile sportsbooks and three in-person sports wagering licensees, which generated $65.56m in taxable sports wagering revenue during July.
In May, Massachusetts gambling revenue decreased 5.2% to $176.5m, with sports betting revenue falling 12.6% to $70.6m despite a $632.1m handle.
Bettors excluded for athlete harassment will also receive information on programs providing support for gambling-related harms
