Calls for Industry-Wide Action Grow as Report Reveals Alarming Levels of Online Harassment

Tennis chiefs are stepping up pressure on betting companies to take action against individuals who send abusive messages to female players, citing a report that highlights the alarming levels of online harassment they face. The report, published last week by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and International Tennis Federation (ITF), reveals that 458 players were targeted with abuse last year, with many receiving death threats and explicit messages.

The report, which used an AI-led detection system developed by the Signify Group, found that 40% of social media abuse came from frustrated gamblers, a figure that rose to 77% for direct abuse towards players’ personal accounts. More than 8,000 posts sent from 4,200 accounts were identified as abusive, with 26% of the offensive messages directed at just five female players. The report also found that 15 of the worst offenders have been reported to the police and other law enforcement agencies, while they have also been banned from buying tickets for grand slam tournaments and for ATP and WTA tour events.

The WTA and ITF have been lobbying betting companies to close the accounts of those found to have sent abusive messages, and some operators have indicated a willingness to suspend accounts held by social media abusers. FanDuel, a US-based gambling company, has altered its terms and conditions to give it the right to suspend customers who harass athletes. In an email sent to its database of users on June 24, FanDuel drew customers’ attention to a new clause in its rules, which states: “We may, in our sole discretion, suspend or terminate your Account and/or exclude you from our services if we determine that you pose a threat to the safety of participants in a sporting event, or discover that you engaged in the harassment of a sports official, coach or any participant in a sporting event.”

The WTA’s official gaming partner in the United States, FanDuel, has taken steps to address the issue, warning its customers that they will suspend or terminate accounts of those who harass athletes. The company has also broadened its definition of harassment to include threats to the safety of participants in a sporting event.

Tennis authorities are pushing for the industry to do more to address the issue, and are considering proposals to use the Gambling Commission’s self-exclusion database to list punters who have sent abusive messages to players. The WTA and ITF have called for the industry to fund industry-wide educational campaigns about online hate.

The report has brought a constructive conversation with the betting industry, according to a spokesperson for the WTA and ITF. However, tennis players are frustrated that more action has not been taken to address the issue. Ons Jabeur, a two-time Wimbledon finalist, has called on betting companies to ban abusers from their platforms for life.

“We’ve been talking about this for a long time, but not a lot changes,” Jabeur said. “The big problem is the betting. The betting companies need to vet these people and look at their social media. If they attack players on social media they should be banned from betting for their whole life.”

Katie Boulter, the British No 2, has been a victim of online abuse, receiving death threats and explicit pictures from online trolls. She told the BBC that she has been sent messages such as: “Hope you get cancer”, “Go to hell. I lost money my mother sent me”, and “Buy candles and a coffin for your entire family” and threatened to damage her “grandmother’s grave if she’s not dead by tomorrow”.

The incident has sparked a wider conversation about online abuse in tennis, with many players speaking out about the issue. The WTA and ITF are working to address the issue, and are calling on the betting industry to take action.