The Boston Red Sox have spoken out against the rise of abuse online because of disgruntled sports bettors. Pitcher Liam Hendriks raised the issue after receiving death threats due to a loss to the Mets recently.
Hendriks commented that the increase in sports betting across the US has led to an increase in “deplorable” abuse online.
“Unfortunately, it’s rampant within sports,” Hendriks said. “I’ve had people from different organizations. I’ve had people in different sports reach out about their own experiences with it. I mean, I’ve had people that have had their home addresses leaked. It’s a lot more deplorable than what we’ve had.”
The Red Sox pitcher also stated that the abuse “is almost a daily occurrence for almost everyone” on the team. He continued by adding, “And that’s the upsetting part, and it’s not being controlled in the right way.”
Hendriks went on to say that he thinks the level of abuse is so bad that it could lead to players breaking down.
“at some point something’s got to break, and it better not be any of the guys that are receiving this stuff.”
An example of the abuse showed how extreme some angry gamblers can be, Hendriks said he had received a message that said, “‘Hey, you blew my parlay. Go (expletive) yourself’ kind of (expletive) and then it’s ‘go hang yourself. You should kill yourself. I wish you died from cancer.’” He commented, “That one kind of hit a little little too close to home for me with everything I’ve gone through.”
Hendriks was diagnosed with cancer in January 2023, but after undergoing months of chemotherapy, he made a remarkable comeback to MLB action in May of the same year.
Red Sox manager backs Hendriks
Hendriks has the backing of manager Alex Cora, who emphasized the need for gamblers to take responsibility for their own mistakes.
He commented, “People take it very seriously, you know? And people are irresponsible too, with the gambling part of it, that decision … probably puts them in a bad spot and they take it personally. That’s not my fault, you know. I mean, you have to be responsible for what you do, you know. And that’s the way I see it.”
Hendriks also called for social media companies to intervene by tracking the IP addresses of those sending abusive messages and reporting them to police. He said he reports abuse to MLB security and also raised one case with the police when a bettor said he was going to come through Hendriks’ sliding door and “slit your throat while your wife watches.”
More angry bettors as gambling losses increase
The sports betting handle in the US reached $149.6 billion last year, with regulated sportsbooks generating $13.71 billion, up from $11 billion in 2023. Unregulated markets are estimated to have generated even more money. A report by Yield Sec published last month suggested US bettors lost as much as $67 billion last year. That includes offshore betting sites, crypto sportsbooks, and prediction markets.
With the huge amounts of money being lost, a lot of bettors take their frustration out on the players whom they believe lost their money. Hendriks received a spike in abuse after giving up 5 earned runs in his last 1.1 innings. Before that, the three-time All-Star hadn’t allowed a run in his previous 8 appearances.
Several states have implemented bans on prop bets in order to protect players from increased abuse. There have also been cases of abusive bettors being prosecuted, particularly when the abuse was directed at college athletes.
In 2019, Addison Choi was sentenced to 18 months in prison and fined $5,500 for sending death threats to 45 college athletes, blaming them for his gambling losses. A year later, Benjamin Patz, aka Parlay Patz, was sentenced to 36 months of probation for threatening professional and college athletes, including graphic threats to players and their families, after losing bets.
Adam is an experienced writer with years of experience in the gambling industry. He has worked as a content writer and editor for five years on sites such as Oddschecker, CoinTelegraph and Gambling Industry News, bringing excellent knowledge of the world of sports betting and online gambling. Adam focuses on emerging stories in the ever changing landscape of betting in the US. Read the latest on prediction markets, changing legislation, and sweepstakes.
