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NCAA March Madness Sports Betting Abuse Down 23% in 2025
Betting-related online abuse during the 2025 March Madness fell 23%, but over 3,000 threats still targeted NCAA players, coaches, and officials.
The monitoring, conducted across both the men’s and women’s NCAA tournaments, used a combination of AI and human analysts to flag and evaluate threatening content. Of the 54,000+ posts reviewed, 3,161 were classified as abusive, with several referred to social media platforms and law enforcement agencies.
The decline in abuse wasn’t evenly distributed across both tournaments. The men’s tournament saw a 36% drop in gambling-linked abuse but experienced a 140% rise in total online abuse, much of it targeting coaches and selection committee members. In contrast, the women’s tournament saw a dramatic 83% drop in overall abuse and a 66% reduction in betting-related threats.
Mississippi State player Chandler Prater was among those who experienced harassment firsthand:
“I received all kinds of messages, so many of them hateful and abusive. It was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before.”
The NCAA’s collaboration with Signify Group is part of a broader initiative aimed at addressing the harmful effects of online abuse and protecting the integrity of collegiate sports. All flagged messages undergo review by trained analysts, and confirmed threats are escalated for platform removal or law enforcement intervention.
March Madness raises concerns about problem gambling. Enjoy the event responsibly and promote safe betting practices.Approximately 15.5bn dollars was wagered by Americans...
