Fanatics Sportsbook has announced the launch of the Bad Actor Program in collaboration with IC360 and Signify Group. The project could see gamblers who abuse esports players punished with betting bans. 

Esports players and other athletes frequently receive abusive messages from users who have placed losing bets on their performances. 

Earlier this month, Astralis captain Rasmus “HooXi” Nielsen deleted his social media accounts after a wave of abusive messages and death threats.

The Bad Actor Program will investigate whether these kinds of messages are coming from gamblers. It will utilize Signify Group’s Threat Matrix service to monitor for abusive and threatening content across multiple social media platforms.

It encourages anyone who receives direct messages like HooXi to report the abuse, so that it can investigate the incidents. Where behavior appears to cross criminal thresholds, Signify said it compiles evidence for referral to law enforcement agencies.

Fanatics Promises To Ban Abusive Bettors

Fanatics said it will “suspend or permanently terminate a customer’s account if it is determined that they have engaged in abusive, threatening, defamatory, or harassing conduct of any kind toward sports officials, coaches, or athletes.”

The company is the first betting operator to sign up to the program. In a press release, Matt King, CEO of Fanatics, said he encourages  “other operators to join the initiative because there is no sports betting potential loss that should embolden a sports betting customer to threaten or harass an athlete online.” 

Signify CEO Jonathan Hirshler praised the company “for taking a leadership position on an issue that affects athletes across every sport.” He added, “This is a clear message to anyone who believes threatening, harassing or abusing athletes online is simply part of being a fan: it is not.”

IC360 Will Flag Abusers To Betting Companies

Integrity Compliance 360 (IC360) is one of the largest integrity and regulatory technology companies serving the betting industry. It was formed in 2024 through the merger of U.S. Integrity and Odds On Compliance. 

It monitors events for potential match-fixing and ensures that gambling companies comply with regulations. The company said it will use its monitoring system, ProhiBet, to flag users who send abusive messages to athletes. 

“Threats of violence and harassment in sports at arenas and on social media are increasing at an alarming rate, undermining the integrity of the sports betting industry,” said Scott Sadin, Co-CEO of IC360.  “Addressing the individuals with ProhiBet BA and Threat Matrix is crucial to protecting athletes and other stakeholders from serious, long-term harm.”

The company also monitors cases of suspected match-fixing, along with other groups such as the International Betting Integrity Association (IBIA). The IBIA flagged an increase in suspicious betting alerts in esports for the first three months of this year.

In addition to abusive messages, esports players are also targeted online by users encouraging them to manipulate performances for betting purposes.