(NewsNation) — In response to sports bettors sending Venmo requests to college athletes after losing money, the popular payment service platform has teamed up with the NCAA to address online harassment.
The NCAA and Venmo announced a partnership Tuesday to combat online abuse facing many athletes as sports betting increases in popularity.
The plan includes a hotline for athletes to report unwanted comments, expanded education on account security and increased account monitoring.
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Venmo’s security team will now monitor social media trends and events during games that could trigger an increase in harassment and abuse toward athletes, such as championship games or last-second shot attempts.
A recent NCAA study found 12% of abusive comments aimed at college athletes were connected to sports betting.
Oftentimes, sports bettors wager money on a specific athlete’s performance in a game. When these bets fail, some disgruntled gamblers use Venmo to vent their frustration directly to players by requesting money and posting harmful comments.
“Harassment or abuse of any kind is not tolerated on the platform, and strict action is taken against users who violate our policies,” said David Szuchman, senior vice president of Venmo’s parent company, PayPal.
