Sportradar vice-president of group operations Sophie Thomas said in-play betting could expand in the United States as bettors become more familiar with it. She said operators and suppliers need to shape suitable in-play experiences, while more sports and events could create additional betting opportunities.
Operators and suppliers may need to adapt in-play products to sport-specific pace and bettor familiarity.
The day’s most important stories, free. One email a day.
The NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and MLS, alongside their players’ associations, urged US state regulators to permanently exclude bettors who make violent threats or engage in abusive harassment on regulated platforms. Their joint letter also proposes information-sharing between operators and regulators to prevent excluded users from opening accounts elsewhere.
The NFL, MLB, MLS, NBA and NHL and their players’ associations have asked state regulators to impose permanent betting bans for threats or harassment. The proposal covers conduct targeting athletes, coaches, officials and their families.
The NFL, MLB, MLS, NBA and NHL, together with their respective players' associations, have asked gambling regulators in 35 states and Washington, D.C., to impose permanent betting bans on people found to have threatened or harassed athletes, coaches, officials, team personnel and their families. The request was made in a letter sent on 15 September, according to the groups, which described an escalating threat of betting-related harassment and violent threats.
The NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL and MLS, together with their players’ unions, asked gambling regulators in 35 states and the District of Columbia to require permanent betting bans for people who threaten or harass sports personnel. The letter also urged states to extend the measures to threats against amateur athletes; Ohio, West Virginia, Louisiana and Wyoming already have exclusions for what the letter called “bad actors”.
Player unions representing the NFL, MLB, NBA, MLS and NHL asked the CFTC to bar contracts based on negative outcomes or events manipulable by one person. In a submission to the agency, they cited athlete safety and sports integrity risks; the CFTC’s comment period drew more than 1,500 submissions.
US Senator Richard Blumenthal asked the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS and NCAA to provide details of their gambling partnerships by 1 May 2026. He said the information would support a review of relationships between sports leagues and gambling stakeholders, amid concerns about sports betting and prediction markets.