• The Wyoming Gaming Commission recently approved a rule to ban sports bettors who are found to be harassing athletes
• Ohio and West Virginia also have rules in place to ban sports bettors who are found to be harassing athletes
• However, the two states have yet to actually ban any sports bettors for harassment

The Wyoming Gaming Commission recently joined Ohio and West Virginia as one of three states to implement a rule to ban sports bettors who are found to be harassing athletes.

The Wyoming Gaming Commission approved changes to its regulations to better define harassment last week and voted to allow those found to be engaging in harassing behavior against athletes to be placed on an involuntary exclusion list to be banned from sports betting in the state.

Despite the laws being in place, neither Ohio or West Virginia has placed any individual on the exclusionary list, citing a lack of official complaints from athletes.

State Harassment Rules Have Led to No Bans So Far

Both Ohio and West Virginia have approved regulations that give their state gaming commissions the power to ban individuals from their sports betting programs if found to be engaging in harassing behavior against athletes.

West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice (R) signed the state bill into law in March 2024, but the legislation did not go into effect until June 2024. It allows the West Virginia Lottery Commission to  effectively ban individuals from participating in sports betting for the following reasons:

• A prior conviction of this code
• A prior violation of an order from the lottery commission
• If the commission determines that the person poses a threat to the safety of patrons or participants in a sporting event or determines that the person has engaged in a pattern of conduct of harassing a sports official, coach, or any participants.

Ohio legislators included a provision in the approved Ohio 2024-2025 fiscal year budget to allow state regulators to permanently ban or place sports bettors on an exclusion list if they’re found to be harassing or threatening student-athletes over a sporting event. Under the law, this does not apply to professional athletes, Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) Executive Director Matthew Schuler told Sports Betting Dime.

Here’s what the approved provision says:

“Allows CAC to exclude a person from participating in sports gaming in Ohio if the person has threatened violence or harm against a person who is involved in a sporting event, where the threat was related to sports gaming and made before, during, or after a sporting event. Stipulates that this provision enhances and in no way decreases a CAC’s existing broad powers and authority in this area.”

However, neither state has yet to place a single sports bettor on their exclusionary lists due to harassment. An OCCC spokesperson reported to Sports Betting Dime that only two individuals are on the state’s sports betting involuntary exclusionary list, both of which stem from their roles in the University of Alabama sports betting controversy.

John A. Myers, West Virginia Lottery Commission Director, told Sports Betting Dime the commission has not received any complaints since the bill has gone into effect so no patrons have been banned.

Athletes Hesitant to Report Harassment Incidents

Neither of the states have placed any individuals on their involuntary exclusion lists for harassing athletes because neither state commission has yet to receive a complaint from an athlete or the public regarding a harassment incident.

Does this mean no such occurrences of athlete harassment have occurred since their policies have been approved? Of course not. Student athletes are proving to be hesitant to report instances of harassment, Schuler told Sports Betting Dime, likely to avoid being labeled as weak or being seen as unable to accept criticism.

“I think there’s still a stigma or challenge with wanting to come forward, given the perception and their desire to be strong individuals all the time. I think some of that stigma is getting broken down nationally, as there’s been more of a robust discussion about mental health issues in general and the tremendous pressure placed on athletes,” he said.

It is casino control commission’s job, he said, to work with stakeholders to create viable pathways for athletes, coaches, athletic directors, or even referees to be able to securely and confidently report incidents of harassment. The involuntary exclusion list is a tool, but not the only tool, the OCCC has to curb harassment issues in the state.

Raising awareness of the issue is also important, he noted. The OCCC recently launched its “More Than a Bet” campaign to educate sports bettors about the effects of harassment against athletes, and to provide student athletes, coaches, and referees with resources to handle such instances.

The OCCC is also engaging in a pilot program with Sportradar (parent company of this website) and Kindbridge to develop a new app for student-athletes that will provide resources on mental health issues and give them a way to securely and anonymously report harassment.

“I do not believe that because we haven’t received complaints they’re not happening. We know that they are. I think we need to work on methods that will make student athletes comfortable to  report these incidents. I understand their hesitation,” he said.

West Virginia Hoping to Better Define Harassment

To better define the process in West Virginia, Myers told Sports Betting Dime that the West Virginia Lottery Commission will be introducing a new rule to the Legislative Rules Committee for the state’s upcoming legislative session. This is a requirement from the approved harassment bill and will provide the commission with better definitions for “when and how someone is added to the exclusion list,” he said.

Myers provided Sports Betting Dime with a draft of the rule and it indeed expands the definition for why someone would be added to the sports betting exclusionary list in the state. The commission may place an individual on the exclusionary list pending a hearing if any of the following criteria is met:

• The person poses a threat to the safety of patrons or participants in a sports events or has engaged in a pattern of conduct of harassing a sports official, coach, or participant
• The person has been convicted of a gambling-related offense, a theft, or a fraud offense in any jurisdiction
• The person has violated the act, this rule, or a previous order of the commission
• The person has performed any act or has a reputation that would adversely affect public confidence and trust in the integrity of gaming
• The person is currently on a valid exclusion list from another jurisdiction in the U.S.
• The person has realized they are a compulsive gambler and has requested in writing to be placed on the list

If approved, the improved definition will likely help the lottery commission streamline the process to better protect its state athletes from harassment.

Wyoming Ban Will Go Into Effect After Governor Signature

The Wyoming Gaming Commission’s approved rule has been approved by the NCAA. The gaming commission worked with the state’s attorney general’s office to amend the definition of harassment to the following:

“It means to engage in conduct including, but not limited to, verbal threats, written threats, electronic threats, lewd or obscene statements or images, vandalism, or non-consequential physical contact directed at a person that the defendant knew or would have know would have caused a reasonable person to suffer.”

Any sports bettor who is found to be harassing an athlete under this definition can now be placed on a state involuntary exclusion list to be banned from sports betting in the state. The commission noted both the NCAA and University of Wyoming have reviewed the changes and prohibition policy and have given their approval.

The approved rule is currently open for public comment. It will go into effect if signed by Gov. Mark Gordon (R).

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