Tennis needs betting’s help to tackle online hate towards female players

Growing concern over online abuse directed at tennis players by angry bettors has prompted the sport’s authorities to call for action.

This form of online aggression is mostly being aimed at women, with top female players such as Emma Raducanu, Iga Swiatek, Katie Boulter, Ons Jabeur and Jessica Pegula bearing the brunt of it.

A joint report from the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) revealed that a total of 458 female players received abusive messages in the past year. 

The study, which used an AI detection system created by Signify Group, also found that frustrated gamblers accounted for 40% of social media abuse. When it came to abuse directed towards the personal accounts of players, this rose to 77%.

As a result of this, the authorities are asking gambling companies to close the accounts of bettors who have been a part of this issue.

In 2024, the pair teamed up with The All England Lawn Tennis Club (AELTC) and United States Tennis Association (USTA) and reported a total of 12,000 abusive posts / comments. 15 of these accounts were reported to law enforcement which resulted in over 8,000 players being protected. The problem will likely remain persistent, however, given how central social media is in today’s world. 

Speaking on the issue, a spokesperson from the UKGC told SBC News: “Our legislation gives us powers to regulate the actions of gambling operators. Unless there is an offence under the Gambling Act we don’t have the power to take action against individual gamblers. 

“We would urge any sportsperson to report messages of abuse to the relevant sports body or, if relevant, to law enforcement.”

FanDuel takes action

According to The Guardian, FanDuel – WTA’s official US gaming partner and the biggest operator in the American betting sector by market share  – has been working on its definition of harassment and updated its terms and conditions to allow for the suspension of users who target athletes.

The company warned in a recent email to its customers: “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.”

Targeting gender

In 2023, a European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) report revealed that women are the primary targets of online hate.

Meanwhile, last year a study from Cornell University UK survey found that women are significantly more fearful of online harms, and also report more significant psychological impacts.

Women who have a public presence online, whether in social media, sports, or the media, have often become targets of online abuse, especially in male-dominated sports, because their visibility challenges traditional gender roles.

Current British number two, 28-year-old Katie Boulter, recently spoke up about the abuse she has personally received, leading to the above-mentioned statements by the WTA and ITF.

She told the BBC: “It becomes more apparent every single time you go on your phone. I think it increases in number and it also increases in the level of things that people say. I don’t think there’s anything off the cards now.’

A spokesperson for both the WTA and ITF said their latest findings have brought about a “constructive conversation” with the betting industry. 

“We will continue to push for the industry to do more as part of a collective effort to rid tennis of betting-related abuse. We hope the gambling industry responds constructively to our call for more action on their part.”

With regards to betting, the issue of athlete abuse has become particularly prevalent in the US, with a lot of focus on online abuse received by college athletes which many believe are related to losing bets.

Speaking on the iGaming Daily podcast, Justin Byers, Senior Journalist at SBC Americas, spoke about how a similar issue of online hate has affected athletes in the US.

He said: “It’s been very interesting to see how gambling companies themselves, regulators and governing bodies of sports are handling the situation. 

“Over the past year, we’ve seen the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) take a step and be proactive with their ‘Don’t Be a Loser’ campaign – a video campaign they released through March Madness. 

“It’s a campaign that looks at sports fans themselves, making them look inward and to not harass athletes on the field. I think having activations like that help to move forward and have bettors thinking themselves has proven effective.”