Ohio launches campaign to combat student-athlete harassment
‘More Than a Bet’ to offer resources to families, athletes, and coaches to protect players from abuse related to online sports betting
Ohio for Responsible Gambling has launched its ‘More Than a Bet’ campaign to curb the harassment aimed at student-athletes in relation to online sports betting.
According to the More Than a Bet website, using stats taken from the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), one in three high-profile student-athletes receive abusive messages from bettors and 90% of the harassment is generated online or via social media.
The site also notes that “in sports with high volumes of betting, 15%-25% of all abuse surrounding that competition is betting-related.”
As part of the campaign, student-athletes will be offered resources and assistance via the platform, which hosts crisis helplines and information packs for colleges.
The online service also has facilities for family and friends to better equip them to help student-athletes they know are facing harassment.
Anyone accessing the website can take More Than a Bet’s online quiz online to gauge their risk level of a gambling disorder, if relevant.
The website also shows a 30-second video of an American football quarterback and a soccer goalkeeper reading out abusive messages from gamblers who had lost money on wagers as a means to further drive home the impact of the abuse.
Ohio for Responsible Gambling launched in January 2023 is backed by four state agencies: the Ohio Lottery Commission, the Ohio Casino Control Commission, the Ohio State Racing Commission, and the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services.
The initiative went live in tandem with online sports betting receiving the green light in the state, with Ohio for Responsible Gambling unveiling its ‘Pause Before You Play’ and ‘Get Set Before You Bet’ campaigns.
Tom Stickrath, Ohio Casino Control Commission chair, said: “These young athletes are more than a bet. The mental toll of online harassment is unacceptable.
“By learning about the issue and supporting student-athletes, we can change the narrative,” he added.
Earlier this year, the NCAA called on all states to ban college prop bets to improve sporting integrity and protect student-athletes from online abuse.
The Ohio Casino Control Commission banned the markets at the end of February following a request from the NCAA a month prior.