The American Gaming Association estimates over $3 billion in bets will be placed on this year’s March Madness tournaments. As betting surges, so does online abuse.
The NCAA reports that losing bettors are increasingly targeting players, coaches, and officials with online harassment.
Betting on college championships has surged in the past few years. This year’s March Madness estimate surpasses the $1.39 billion predicted for Super Bowl bets.
In 2024, college sports betting brought in $13.7 billion in revenue.
The same year, the NCAA reported over 3,500 verified instances of harassment against athletes. Women’s basketball players received over 2,500 abusive comments—three times more than male athletes.
A review of over 5,000 abusive posts across six sports found that 18% were sexual, 14% sexist, and 10% racist.
However, the software used, Threat Matrix, scanned Instagram, X, Facebook, and TikTok—but didn’t catch the private messages where much of the harassment reportedly occurs.