Problem gambling as it relates to issues with anger is a well-researched and documented concern, but it is one that has been pushed to the forefront lately. There has been a rise in reports of aggrieved gamblers who are taking to social communication networks to harass and threaten certain groups of people. The latter are individuals who have become targets of vitriol due to the recent introduction of gambling related products, and their perceived role in being able to alter the outcomes of bets, wagers, and trades. As someone who has arrived here after searching “what to do if a gambler threatens you”, you are feeling uncertain about what steps to take, and may also benefit from insight into what’s going on. Below is a summary of what you need to know.
Overview of the Unfortunate Phenomenon of Aggrieved Gambler Threats and What to do if You’re in a Group Targeted for Harassment
I. Who is Being Targeted, and Products Associated with Reports of Aggrieved Gambler Harassment
People employed, or actively involved in scenarios that are tethered to outcomes that can be wagered or traded on are potential targets of threats. The phenomenon has grown and gained attention (including from the FBI) since the federal ban on sports betting was removed in 2018, providing individual states the power to legalize and regulate the activity. Stories of professional athletes and coaches being threatened started to bubble up, but concern became more widespread when reports of young college student athletes being targeted by disgruntled sports bettors arrived with unfortunate regularity. The issue grew big enough to prompt the National Collegiate Athlete Association (NCAA) to take a hard look at the matter. The NCAA partnered with a data science company and launched a study that analyzed social media accounts of more than 3,100 college/university athletes in addition to about 500 coaches, 200 referees/officials, and 165 teams during periods when betting interest varied from mild and moderate to high. The results were shocking. Below is a small sample of what was uncovered:
Aggrieved sports bettors drive as much as 45% of all abuse surrounding major sports tournaments
One student-athlete received more than 1,400 threatening messages in under 2 weeks.
Sexual abuse (18%) racism (10%) and homophobia/transphobia (9%) are among the most common harassment categories
Women athletes received approximately 59% more threatening messages than men
6% of harassment indicated threat of violence, or desire for physical harm to come to an athlete
View more on the NCAA statistical analysis right here.
At first, it seemed that threats from aggrieved gamblers would be isolated to sporting events where athletes, coaches, and referees have the most power to alter the outcome of a particular wager. This is most commonly associated with proposition bets, which the NCAA to this day suggests should be banned. But then, new products arrived and/or gained ground that also appeal to those who have an affinity with “games of chance”. Prediction markets are one such product, and they have made the news in the thick of the most recent Problem Gambling Awareness Month.
On March 17, 2026, the public awoke to the following headlines:
“An Israeli journalist said Polymarket users tried to bribe him and threatened to kill him after he reported that an Iranian missile had struck Israel earlier this month.” (Business Insider)
“Gamblers trying to win a bet on Polymarket are vowing to kill me if I don’t rewrite an Iran missile story.” (The Times of Israel)
“Polymarket bettors send death threats to reporter over missile report tied to $14 million prediction market pool.” (The Block)
“An Israeli war reporter says online gamblers demanded he change a published story so they could win a payout on prediction market Polymarket.” (The Washington Post)
What happened? As the headlines from leading publications around the world reported, an Israeli war reporter was pressured by online prediction market traders to alter a story about an Iranian missile strike on March 10, 2026, because their trades on with a prediction market platform depended on the report’s details. They allegedly threatened the reporter, demanding changes to secure a profitable payout.
The arrival of prediction markets – exchange traded platforms where individuals can invest on the outcome of events with an unknown future – have added a layer of complexity to the issue of gamblers/traders making threats to those who may influence the gamified outcome of an event. Keep in mind that prediction markets allow trades on everything from politics (elections) and economics (interest rates) to pop culture (awards, celebrity breakups), weather events, sporting events, and beyond. Further, in some cases, mere mentions (vs actualities) of certain things in the news and other broadcasts can be traded upon. Ultimately, the arrival and growth of this product has effectively grown the demographic diversity and volume of who is vulnerable to being targeted.
Potentially More Vulnerable Targets of Gambling and Trading Threats:
- Student and professional athletes
- Collegiate and professional sports coaches
- Collegiate and professional sports referees
- Collegiate and professional sports commissioners
- Celebrities, influencers, and public figures
- Commentators and news reporters
- Politicians
- Corporate decision makers in addition to insiders/employees with confidential knowledge about a publicly traded company
II. Why Are They Behaving This Way?
Lashing out and threatening an athlete, reporter, decision maker, or other outcome-influencer for losses sustained on gambling/trading platforms is clearly irrational behavior. In some cases, not all, an individual making threats is in the throughs of a behavioral addiction related to gambling and trading. Anger, irritation, and impulsive behavior (e.g. making threats) are known signs and symptoms, which you can read more about here. Furthermore, problem gambling/trading often overlap with various mental health issues (view here), many of which also count anger and impulsivity as a symptom or comorbidity.
While no one making threats should be let off the hook, per se, it is important to recognize that there may be deeper behavioral and mental health issues to be considered. In such cases, measures of intervention and prevention must bidirectional.
III. Steps to Take if You’re Being Threatened
Don’t Engage
To begin with, resist the urge to engage the individual/s making the online threat. Not engaging with individuals making online threats is a critical safety measure, as responding can escalate the situation, provoke the threat actor, and fuel further harassment. Retaliation or engaging with “bullies” often leads to a lose-lose scenario, giving power to the aggressor.
Alert Your Organization
In the section above, we detailed population groups who are potentially more vulnerable targets of gambling and trading threats. Individuals within these groups (yourself included?) will be employed or engaged with an association, league, company, or other operation. Record evidence of the threat (screenshot, et cetera) and report it to the organization. They may be able to advise and provide support on next steps, take immediate action to protect you and others who may be targeted, and may be in a position to take larger more holistic measures at a research and regulatory level.
Report to the Authorities
Social media threats requiring law enforcement intervention include direct threats of violence, stalking, severe harassment, doxxing (releasing private info), sextortion, and coordinated attacks. Evidence – such as screenshots, user IDs, and URLs – should be preserved and reported to local law enforcement and/or the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).
Report to Social Networks
Any form of harassment occurring on social media via comments, direct messages, and the like should immediately be reported to the social media platform through the reporting tools provided by META (Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp), Reddit, TikTok, X, of any other platform the harassment is occurring on. Even if you feel that others may perceive the abusive messaging to be somewhat innocuous, take action, as no form of abuse should be tolerated.
Alert the Gambling/Trading Operator
Abusive members of online sports betting and prediction market platforms may use the same avatars, emails, social handles, or IDs on the platforms as they do on the social profiles that they usher threats on. Gather evidence and contact the gambling/trading operator that you know or suspect that the threatening individual had been using when they sustained the loss/losses that prompted them to threaten you. Ethical and regulated operators will likely take action against such members, when possible. Even if it proves challenging or impossible to track an abuser down as a member, the more operators receive contact from victims, the more they may come to realize that work needs to be done on their end to educate members on responsible gambling/trading behavior. This helps support a holistic movement towards ending the unfortunate phenomenon.
When Counseling Intervention (for you) May be Needed
For some, being threatened by an aggrieved gambler/trader is an irritation that needs to be dealt with, but one that does not have much of an impact on their wellbeing. For many others, it can have a more negative impact. If you experience emotional distress, anxiety, depression, helplessness, suicidal thoughts, and/or physical symptoms like fatigue, sleeplessness, or referral pain, and/or inability to function, you will find counseling to be highly beneficial.
Kindbridge Behavioral Health is uniquely qualified to help you or a loved one who is struggling with the emotional burden of being threatened by disgruntled gamblers/traders. Not only do our counselors provide powerful online therapy (individual, family, and group) we specialize behavioral addictions related to gambling and trading. We have insight unlike any other virtual counseling provider in America. Reach out to get support via your preferred form of contact below.
