Fanatics Launches a Bad Actor Program for Sports Bettors

Fanatics Sportsbook is drawing a clear line between sports betting and online abuse. Starting with the 2026 NFL season, the operator is rolling out what it calls the Bad Actor Program. It is the most aggressive integrity initiative yet from a major licensed US sportsbook, and it marks a genuine shift in how the industry thinks about bettor conduct.

What Is the Bad Actor Program?

The Fanatics Bad Actor Program monitors public activity across social media platforms, including X, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and YouTube. Athletes can also submit abusive direct messages for review. Fanatics built the program with two specialist partners: IC360, an integrity and compliance company, and Signify Group, a social media intelligence provider.

The two firms bring complementary tools. Signify’s Threat Matrix handles social monitoring, while IC360 contributes its ProhiBet system to manage the database of flagged individuals. Once the program identifies someone engaging in harassment or threats, it adds them to a shared list. Participating sportsbooks can then access that list and suspend or restrict those users from their platforms.

In serious cases involving credible threats, the program can escalate information to law enforcement. Fanatics is the first licensed sportsbook in the US to join the initiative. Expansion to sports leagues and teams is expected as the program matures, with shared intelligence helping build a clearer picture of repeat offenders.

A Problem Bigger Than One Platform

The launch reflects a problem that has grown alongside legal sports betting in the US. As wagering became more accessible, online abuse targeting athletes followed. Losing bets and losing tempers have combined to fuel direct threats sent to players, coaches, and officials, sometimes mid-game.

Matt King, CEO of Fanatics Betting and Gaming, said no betting outcome justifies harassment or threats toward anyone in sport. The message is firm: post abusively online, and your Fanatics account is at risk. The company is not waiting for a high-profile incident to force its hand.

Jonathan Hirshler, CEO of Signify Group, framed the program as a response to pressure from sports organizations demanding that betting platforms act. Scott Sadin, co-CEO of IC360, called the scale of the problem alarming, noting that threats and harassment are rising fast and damaging integrity across the industry.

What It Means for Bettors

For most customers, the Bad Actor Program at Fanatics will never come into play. Normal fan behavior, including venting after a loss, falls well outside what the system targets. The focus is on credible threats and targeted harassment, not ordinary social media commentary.

But the program does introduce something genuinely new. A sportsbook is now monitoring public behavior outside its own platform and using that data to make account decisions. That raises fair questions about how the database is governed, how errors are corrected, and what process exists for anyone flagged incorrectly. Those details are not yet public. As the program expands to leagues and teams, the answers will matter more.

Setting a Standard

No other licensed US sportsbook has gone this far in linking online conduct to account status. If the Fanatics Bad Actor Program proves effective, other operators will face pressure to follow. State regulators in active sports betting markets may also take notice, particularly if the initiative produces measurable results in reducing athlete harassment.

Fanatics has positioned itself as a company ready to act on integrity issues. The NFL season starts soon, and the program faces its first real test before the year is out. The industry will be watching.