Along with their respective players’ associations, the five biggest professional sports leagues in North America issued a joint statement Tuesday morning calling for significant repercussions for bettors who step out of line.
Specifically, the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB and MLS want permanent betting bans on anyone who is verified to have harassed or threatened a player, coach, official or their families. They also want to see a streamlined reporting system for such abuse, and they’d like the betting companies to be proactive in seeking out individuals who do these things.
“The safety and well-being of players, coaches, officials and their families must always come before a wager,” the statement reads.
