NCAA becomes first sports governing body to join Bad Actor Program against betting-related abuse

The National Collegiate Athletic Association has joined the Bad Actor Program, an initiative meant to identify and hold to account people who send threats and abusive messages to student-athletes, coaches and sports officials. The partnership was announced on October 29, 2026, making the NCAA the first sports governing body to take part in the scheme.

The program was developed by the sports integrity and data intelligence companies IC360 and Signify Group. It pairs social media monitoring with investigative capabilities to trace the individuals behind abusive posts. Signify Group's Threat Matrix technology detects threats and abusive content across platforms, while IC360 supplies the compliance and integrity infrastructure needed to act against those identified.

Participating organizations can use the findings to ban offenders from betting platforms, exclude them from live sporting events where appropriate, or refer cases to law enforcement. Fanatics joined at the end of June, and Fanatics and DraftKings are currently the only sportsbooks publicly aligned with the program.

NCAA President Charlie Baker said that athlete harassment has no place in college sports. He added that the association is committed to working with stakeholders across the sports betting ecosystem to address behavior that continues to affect college sports.

The move follows earlier research conducted with Signify Group. One study verified more than 5,000 social media posts containing abusive, discriminatory or threatening content, and the NCAA says roughly 80% of the verified abuse targeted participants in the March Madness basketball tournaments. Female athletes were found to receive substantially more threats than male athletes.

Further NCAA research has tied a significant share of negative messages to sports betting, with athletes targeted by bettors who blame them for lost wagers. Student-athletes have reported direct threats, demands for money and repeated abusive messages after betting losses.

The association has already taken other steps on the issue. In 2025 it worked with Venmo to identify and disrupt betting-related extortion, setting up a dedicated reporting channel for student-athletes who receive abusive payment demands. It also promotes its Draw the Line campaign, including a public service announcement titled Don't Be a Loser, which addresses harassment from bettors frustrated by game results.