NFL Survey Shows Bettors Regularly Target Players Over Lost Bets

Sports bettors are targeting NFL players with harassment over lost wagers, according to The Athletic’s annual NFL anonymous player survey.

Beat reporters from The Athletic began collecting responses to the survey in early December and wrapped up their work at the end of the regular season. The poll, which includes responses from 84 players across the league, gives us a rare glimpse into how sports betting and fantasy football are affecting players off the field. 

A clear majority of those polled said fans had contacted or confronted them over betting or fantasy outcomes, with 70% of players reporting that fans had messaged them about betting or fantasy losses, most often through social media. 

The harassment the players described included aggressive messages, slurs, and even death threats after games. Players reported experiencing harassment even when their on-field performance had little or no direct impact on the outcome that supposedly cost the bettor money. While most players said they ignored these messages, some acknowledged that they had responded when threats crossed the line. 

NFL Players Say Lost Bets Often Lead to Harassment

The data from The Athletic shows how widespread sports betting has created a culture where some fans seem to view players as financial variables rather than human competitors. An AFC player said he receives about five harassing messages per season, even though he’s an offensive player who rarely touches the ball. 

Another player recounted getting death threats after a game where a pass wasn’t even thrown his way. The harassment NFL players face peaks during key times in the season, such as the Week 14 fantasy playoffs, when a single holding call or missed touchdown can trigger a flood of vitriol. 

Some players cope with the harassment by finding humor in it, such as one player who responded to a bettor by sending a screenshot of the salary paragraph in his contract. While most of the harassment players face happens on social media, fans have found unexpected ways to reach out, including through payment apps like Venmo. 

“I got a couple of Venmo requests from fans who said they lost money. They thought they were funny,” an NFC offensive player told The Athletic. Most of the players surveyed said they don’t bet on sports or fantasy football; only 10.7% of those polled said they do. Opting out hasn’t protected them from bettor backlash. 

In some cases, the harassment starts with officiating decisions or misunderstood plays, leading to a wave of messages from bettors who believe a player cost them money. One player even described a situation where league officials later acknowledged an officiating error, but by then the harassment had already occurred. 

Players express frustration that fans could make anonymous threats with little recourse, but any retaliation from a player would become a scandal. “You can’t respond to it. Since betting and fantasy has become more relevant, it’s crazy. Like, I’m talking about threats. But if we did something to a fan, it would be a big story,” an AFC offensive player told The Athletic. 

Harassment from bettors isn’t just a problem in the NFL. In 2024, Major League Baseball stars like Matt Chapman and Logan Webb had to make their Venmo accounts private after receiving threats related to betting.

Survey Adds Pro Context to Bettor Harassment

Until recently, most research on betting has focused on collegiate athletes. Findings from a November 2025 NCAA study showed that 36% of Division I men’s basketball players had experienced social media abuse linked to sports wagering. NCAA President Charlie Baker has tried to get out in front of the issue, calling on state regulators to ban player prop bets on student-athletes and arguing that these markets can compromise game integrity and increase the risk that players will be targeted for harassment. 

Lawmakers in some states have also taken action to address athlete harassment at all levels. In New York, Senator Toby Ann Stavisky (D) introduced legislation that would allow the state’s gaming commission to ban bettors who engage in a “harmful pattern of conduct” toward athletes, coaches, or officials. If passed, New York would join Ohio, West Virginia, and Wyoming as states that have established “involuntary exclusion lists” specifically targeting bettors who harass sports participants.

The findings from The Athletic, the NCAA, and personal stories athletes have shared with the media show that as legal sports betting has become part of the fan experience, the line between engagement and abuse has become harder to police and increasingly difficult for athletes to escape.