Five major sports leagues call for sportsbook enforcement against betting-related harassers; WNBA left out of September 15 initiative

On September 15, the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, and MLS sent a joint letter to state gaming regulators on behalf of their players' unions, according to Front Office Sports. The letter asked states to require sportsbooks to ban and report any bettor who engages in harassment, and to enact regulations banning fans who threaten athletes because of sports betting. The five leagues referred to themselves as the "five largest professional sports leagues and players associations." The WNBA and WNBPA were excluded from the coalition despite documented harassment of WNBA players tied to sports betting. In July 2026, Las Vegas Aces star Chelsea Gray posted a screenshot on Instagram showing a user who called her a racial slur, with the user's bio listing "sports betting." Chicago Sky guard Natasha Cloud told Front Office Sports she has asked both NBA commissioner Adam Silver and WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert for help addressing player safety around sports betting. WNBPA executive director Terri Carmichael Jackson said in a statement: "It is deeply disappointing that, given the very public and troubling incidents of betting-related harassment experienced by our members over the past several seasons, the NBA determined that WNBA players did not warrant inclusion in a joint position statement intended to address this very issue." The NBA owns approximately 42 percent of the WNBA, and several other NBA owners hold additional separate equity stakes in the women's basketball league, per Front Office Sports. Both leagues operate from the same New York offices. Cloud said: "So for both Adam and Cathy, there still has to be dialogue around this as our leagues continue to expand and as we continue to navigate what this betting world is. Cause we want to be in it; it's great for our league, but also within it, we have to be protected as human beings when we take these jerseys off." In late July 2026, WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert and league security met with several WNBA player committees to discuss how to improve player security. WNBPA secretary Elizabeth Williams said after the meeting: "Overall, there are steps that are being taken, which is encouraging. But we just want to see a little more consistency." Engelbert has announced she will retire at the end of the year. The NWSL union director Meghann Burke said the NWSLPA supports efforts to protect professional athletes in both men's and women's sports from harassment driven by sports betting. The NBA and NWSL did not immediately respond to requests for comment; the WNBA declined to comment.