More Than a Bad Bet: Problem Gambling, Emotional Reactivity, and Athlete Cyberbullying Among Sports Bettors
This study of over 1,000 U.S. sports bettors reveals that problem gambling and emotional reactivity to betting outcomes are independent, additive risk factors that significantly increase the likelihood of athletes being cyberbullied, suggesting that interventions should address both gambling harm and emotional regulation to protect sport communities.
Original paper licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This is an AI-generated explanation of the paper below. It is not written or endorsed by the authors. For technical accuracy, refer to the original paper. Read full disclaimer
In the wake of a 2018 legal decision that opened the door for states to legalize sports wagering across the United States, the landscape of American gambling changed overnight. What was once a restricted activity became a mainstream pastime, woven into the fabric of daily life through mobile apps and television broadcasts. This rapid expansion brought with it a darker, less visible consequence: a surge in online harassment directed at the athletes themselves. While much attention has focused on the athletes as victims of this abuse, a new line of inquiry asks a different question: what drives the people placing the bets to become the aggressors? To understand this, researchers look to a psychological concept known as the frustration-aggression theory. In simple terms, this idea suggests that when a person is blocked from achieving a goal, they feel frustration, which can sometimes turn into anger and aggressive behavior. In the world of sports betting, the goal is financial gain; when a bet is lost, that goal is blocked. The theory posits that some bettors, unable to accept the uncertainty of the game, may redirect their frustration toward the players and coaches they blame for the loss, taking their anger out in the anonymous, immediate space of social media.
A team of researchers from the University of Georgia set out to investigate the specific traits that make a sports bettor more likely to engage in this kind of athlete cyberbullying. They surveyed 1,013 adults in the United States who actively placed sports bets. The study asked participants about their typical betting habits, how much money they usually wagered, their age, and how deeply their emotions were tied to the outcome of their bets. Crucially, the researchers also asked about the frequency of seven specific negative behaviors directed at athletes, ranging from posting hateful comments and sharing negative images to sending direct threats. The goal was to see if a bettor's emotional reaction to losing, or the severity of their gambling problems, predicted whether they would harass an athlete online.
The results revealed a startling prevalence of this behavior. More than half of the people surveyed admitted to having engaged in at least one form of cyberbullying against an athlete or coach. Among those, a significant portion reported doing so several times a week or even daily. The study found that the most powerful predictor of this behavior was self-reported problem gambling. Participants who reported that their gambling had negatively impacted their finances, relationships, or well-being were more than three times as likely to engage in cyberbullying compared to those who did not. Emotional reactivity was also a significant factor: participants who reported that their mood was "always" or "sometimes" affected by their betting results were far more likely to harass athletes than those who remained emotionally detached. This emotional volatility operated as a clear signal: the more a bettor let a loss ruin their day, the more likely they were to take that anger out on a player online.
The researchers also examined the role of problem gambling, defined as experiencing negative consequences in one's finances, relationships, or well-being due to betting habits. They found that individuals who reported having a gambling problem were more than three times as likely to engage in cyberbullying compared to those who did not. This association held true even when accounting for other factors. Interestingly, the study also found that younger bettors and those who placed larger wagers were more prone to this behavior. However, the most critical finding concerned how these factors worked together. The researchers had wondered if the combination of having a gambling problem and being highly emotional would create a "perfect storm," making the risk of abuse skyrocket even higher than the sum of its parts. The data showed this was not the case. Instead, the two factors acted as separate, parallel paths to the same outcome. A bettor was at high risk if they had a gambling problem, or if they were highly emotional, or if they had both, but one did not make the other worse. They simply added up.
This distinction is vital for understanding how to address the issue. Because the emotional reaction to a loss and the presence of a gambling disorder operate independently, interventions do not need to wait for both to be present to be effective. Addressing a bettor's inability to regulate their emotions after a loss could reduce harassment, just as treating the gambling disorder itself could. The study suggests that the harm of expanding sports betting extends far beyond the individual bettor and their family; it reaches out to the athletes, coaches, and the broader sports community. By identifying that emotional reactivity and gambling problems are distinct drivers of online abuse, the research points toward a need for new approaches in how we assess and support those who gamble, ensuring that the pursuit of entertainment does not come at the cost of the safety and dignity of the athletes.
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