Fanatics Sportsbook said it is creating a “Bad Actor Program” to hold bettors accountable when they direct abusive and threatening messages at athletes, coaches, and sports officials online. The program can lead to account suspension or permanent termination in Pennsylvania when conduct is determined to be abusive, threatening, defamatory, or harassing.
Fanatics said it partnered with Integrity Compliance 360, Inc. (IC360) and Signify Group. According to Fanatics, IC360 will collaborate with Signify’s Threat Matrix service to monitor targeted abusive and threatening content across multiple social media platforms.
The Bad Actor Program focuses on public-facing activity targeting individual athletes and coaches across X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube. As part of Threat Matrix monitoring, Fanatics said athletes and officials are encouraged to report abusive direct messages (DMs) directly.
According to Fanatics, Signify analyzes reports, assesses severity, and escalates serious cases to in-house specialists for detailed investigation. Where behavior appears to cross criminal thresholds, Signify compiles evidence packs for referral to law enforcement agencies.
Fanatics said problematic abuse and threats detected on open source social media lead to accounts being placed into IC360’s ProhiBet Bad Actor platform. ProhiBet Bad Actor gives sportsbooks the ability to restrict wagering by individuals who threaten athletes and coaches.
In its announcement, Fanatics said it will suspend or permanently terminate a customer’s account if it determines the customer engaged in abusive, threatening, defamatory, or harassing conduct toward sports officials, coaches, or athletes. Fanatics also said the program is designed to act as deterrent and punishment for abusive online offenders.
Fanatics said athletes and teams can also benefit from shared information, with the Bad Actor Program sharing intelligence with teams and leagues so they can use their own enforcement actions. PlayPennsylvania also described the initiative as a zero-tolerance approach, and said it applies across Fanatics markets.
Matt King, CEO of Fanatics Betting and Gaming, said the program would hold bettors accountable for threats made against players, coaches, and officials. Jonathan Hirshler, CEO of Signify Group, said the company commended Fanatics for taking a leadership position on an issue affecting athletes across every sport.
Fanatics said the Bad Actor Program was expected to launch at the start of NFL and college football betting, beginning with the start of the football season.
(Announcement date: June 25, 2026.)
