Sports Bettors Start Throwing Racial Slurs in Wake of Lost Wagers

That sports gamblers get furious over lost wagers shouldn’t surprise anyone. But when lines are crossed, these same bettors need to be cut off. 

The Premier League’s 2025-2026 season has had several examples of racial abuse heaped on players of color, with sports gamblers resorting to racist slurs to vent their frustration. 

Sports Gamblers Who Lost Bets Are Furious – Take It Out on Athletes 

The New York Times has spoken to Premier League club officials who have confirmed that there was indeed a pattern with people who have lost wagers on the outcome of Premier League games heaping obscenities based in rase against players.

This comes amid a growing trend of online abuse with a 44% jump during the 2025-2026 season already, and has been described as “record levels.” 

The obscenities directed at athletes range from thinly-veiled offenses, hinting at latent racism, to the outrageously outright “f—ing n—–.”

Premier League athletes have been posting messages on social media highlighting these offenses and the abuse they receive from random people online because they are upset over a losing wager. 

While the Premier League and clubs have been outraged by the inundation of such messages, there have been few checks and balances in place to ensure that people who engage in such behavior face any sort of punishment. 

Athlete abuse has been popular with hecklers verbally abusing athletes during live games, threatening to “visit them at home,” and telling them to “kill themselves.” 

Consequences Needed for the Abusers 

Pro-athletes have pointed out that having a bad day in the pitch or on the court is hardly all it takes to trigger this behavior.

Some people would abuse pro-athletes for simply playing too well and winning against someone the person has bet on. Organizations such as the NCAA have worked actively with private companies and law enforcement to identify abusers and take follow-up action against them.

There has been a global call for such measures to be enforced en masse, with abusers brought under various sanctions – from civil and criminal penalties, to prohibitions to attend sports events and be banned from regulated sports betting sites.