Sports betting has become a massive part of the sports landscape. But apparently, some bettors still haven’t learned the most basic rule: losing a bet does not give you permission to threaten the guy who missed your parlay.

Now, the biggest sports leagues and their players associations are trying to make sure there’s a serious consequence for those who cross that line.

Five major professional sports leagues — the NFL, MLB, NBA, MLS and NHL — have joined forces with their respective players associations to ask state gambling regulators for stronger protections against threats and harassment from sports bettors.

The groups sent a letter Tuesday to gambling regulators in 35 states and the District of Columbia, calling for rules that would permanently revoke betting privileges from people who are found to have threatened or abusively harassed athletes, coaches, officials, team personnel or their families.

When a Bad Beat Becomes Something Much Worse

Sports betting has exploded since the Supreme Court opened the door for states to legalize it in 2018. For fans, that has created more ways to interact with games and, unfortunately, more opportunities for people to become emotionally invested in whether a particular player covers a spread or hits a prop.

And some people apparently take their betting losses personally.

According to the leagues and players associations, athletes, coaches and their families are increasingly receiving threatening and abusive messages from bettors — particularly through social media and sometimes through in-person interactions.

There’s obviously a massive difference between tweeting, “How did you miss that?” and sending someone a legitimate threat because your $25 parlay died in the fourth quarter.

The leagues say that distinction needs to be taken seriously.

The Proposed Punishment

The request is relatively straightforward: if someone is verified to have abusively harassed or threatened violence against a professional or amateur athlete, coach, official, team employee or their family, sportsbooks should permanently revoke that person’s ability to place wagers.

In other words:

You lose the bet. You don’t get to threaten the player. And you may lose your sportsbook account forever.

The leagues are also asking state gaming commissions and policymakers to establish uniform rules and legislative protections addressing this behavior.

Right now, the rules aren’t consistent across the country.

Four States Already Have Protections

The letter specifically points to Ohio, West Virginia, Louisiana and Wyoming as states that already have rules allowing licensed sportsbooks and mobile betting applications to exclude certain “bad actors.”

The leagues want similar protections expanded to the other states where sports betting is legal.

That could ultimately create a much bigger consequence for someone who decides that their losing bet gives them a reason to go after an athlete online.

Why This Matters

There’s an uncomfortable reality that comes with the growth of sports betting: the more money fans put on individual plays and player performances, the more some fans begin viewing athletes as part of their wagers rather than human beings.

A quarterback isn’t just a quarterback anymore. To a bettor, he might be the difference between winning $500 and losing $500.

A baseball player isn’t simply trying to get a hit. He might be standing between someone and a $2,000 parlay.

That’s where things can become dangerous.

The leagues and players associations made it clear that threats against athletes or their families are not simply part of being a professional athlete. They described the behavior as crossing an ethical and criminal line and called on state and local leaders to protect participants at every level of sports.

Sports Betting Isn’t Going Away — So The Rules Need to Evolve

Legal sports betting is now deeply embedded in the American sports industry. The leagues themselves have embraced it through partnerships, sponsorships, betting content and official sportsbook relationships.

But with that growth comes responsibility.

If sports organizations want fans to bet on games, they also need to make sure athletes aren’t being treated like targets when a wager doesn’t go according to plan.

Nobody likes losing a bet.

But if your reaction to an interception, missed free throw or strikeout is to threaten the athlete responsible, maybe the problem isn’t the athlete. Maybe it’s time to put the phone down.

The message from the leagues is becoming increasingly clear: bet on the game if you want — but don’t make the people playing it pay for your bad beat.

And if these proposed protections become standard across the country, the next time someone crosses that line, the punishment could be more than simply watching their parlay die.

They could lose their ability to bet altogether.