Fanatics Sportsbook Launches Bad Actor Program to Combat Online Abuse Targeting Athletes
Fanatics is rolling out one of the most aggressive integrity moves yet from a major US sports betting operator. Starting with the 2026 NFL season, Fanatics Sportsbook will partner with IC360 and Signify Group to monitor online harassment and threats aimed at athletes, coaches, and officials. The program creates a shared database of bad actors that participating sportsbooks can use to suspend or restrict accounts.
This is the first time a licensed betting operator in the US has joined the initiative. It combines Signify Group’s Threat Matrix technology with IC360’s ProhiBet system. The setup also lets athletes submit abusive direct messages for review.
First in the US
The Bad Actor Program will scan public activity across X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube. It targets individuals who cross from fandom into harassment or threats. Flagged users get added to a shared database.
Participating sportsbooks can then act on that intelligence. Fanatics Sportsbook leads the way among licensed operators. Both IC360 and Signify Group already support sports organizations and betting platforms on compliance and integrity work.
The initiative is built to scale. It is expected to bring in sports leagues and teams. Shared data will help spot repeat offenders. In serious cases with credible threats, details can go to law enforcement.
Preserving Respect in Sport
Fanatics frames the program as a direct stand for respect and tolerance. No betting outcome justifies going after players or officials. The operator wants to protect the people at the center of the games while keeping the line between passion and abuse crystal clear.
Matt King, chief executive officer of Fanatics Betting and Gaming, said the initiative reflects the company’s commitment to respect and tolerance in sport, adding that no betting outcome justifies harassment or threats toward players or officials.
Signify Group chief executive officer Jonathan Hirshler said the program responds to growing pressure from sports organizations to address online abuse linked to betting activity, calling it a clear message that harassment is not part of being a fan.
Co-chief executive officer of IC360, Scott Sadin put it directly: “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.”
He added that addressing the individuals with ProhiBet BA and Threat Matrix is crucial to protecting athletes and other stakeholders from serious, long-term harm.
After eighteen years across iGaming and sportsbook operations, I see this kind of move as overdue. Operators have spent years building products that let fans engage in real time. The downside is that engagement sometimes turns toxic. A shared database across books is one practical way to push back without killing the energy that makes sports betting valuable.
Operational Mechanics and Industry Reach
The program is not just monitoring. It creates actionable intelligence. Sportsbooks get a tool to restrict accounts tied to documented abuse. That shifts some enforcement from individual platforms to a networked approach.
Expansion to leagues and teams broadens the net. Repeat offenders become easier to track across properties. Escalation paths to law enforcement add teeth in high-risk cases. The combination of social listening and integrity systems gives the initiative scale that single operators would struggle to build alone.
From the supplier side, this highlights how partnerships accelerate capability. Fanatics did not try to reinvent social monitoring or integrity tech in-house. It plugged into existing tools from Signify Group and IC360. That is the pattern I have seen work in regulated markets. Speed matters more than ownership when the problem spans platforms and jurisdictions.
Risks, Limitations, and Counterarguments
No integrity program is foolproof. Sophisticated users can shift to new accounts or private channels. False positives remain a risk if monitoring thresholds are too loose. The shared database must balance accuracy with privacy concerns or it could face pushback from users and regulators alike.
Enforcement also depends on participation. Fanatics Sportsbook is first, but the program’s strength grows only as more operators join. Without broad adoption, bad actors simply migrate to books outside the network. That is the classic coordination problem in fragmented US sports betting.
Serious threats already fall to law enforcement. This initiative does not replace police work. It supplements it with faster, industry-level visibility. Still, the line between online harassment and protected speech can be blurry. Clear criteria for flagging and appealing will be essential if the program is to hold up under scrutiny.
The Bottom Line is that Fanatics is treating online abuse as a direct threat to sports integrity and its own business. By moving first on a shared bad-actor database, it sets a benchmark other operators will have to match or explain. Execution will decide whether this becomes industry standard or stays a headline. Sportsbook leaders should watch how participation grows ahead of the 2026 NFL season and what operational friction emerges when restricting accounts at scale. Those lessons will shape how the sector polices itself in an era where fan engagement and fan toxicity travel the same digital channels. For executives weighing integrity strategy against product velocity, the real test is whether this model scales without slowing down the fan experience that drives revenue.
