Boston Red Sox hurler Lucas Giolito recently spoke one-on-one with MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred on the growing abuse bettors are directing toward players.
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Boston Red Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito recently spoke one-on-one with Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred on the growing abuse players face from sports bettors.
Key takeaways
- Giolito told Manfred he’s concerned a player gets assaulted before more is done to protect against the abuse.
- The Red Sox pitcher said both he and his girlfriend were harassed on Instagram and X.
- Giolito suggested helping incoming rookies understand the situations they’re going to encounter from disgruntled bettors.
The veteran hurler detailed what he told the league’s leader and some of the instances that occurred on the Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast.
“Is it going to take a player getting assaulted in front of their apartment building by some disgruntled guy that lost a bet for like real action to be taken?” Giolito said he asked Manfred.
It’s a @BBisntBoring on the Go: Lucas Giolito talked to Rob Manfred today about the growing problem with gambling-induced threats in MLB
Listen: https://t.co/GozwBKiDi2 pic.twitter.com/QY6mLjfzyX— Rob Bradford (@bradfo) July 22, 2025
On the heels of Boston teammate Liam Hendriks speaking out about harassment from bettors, Giolito said he pulled Manfred aside after the commissioner spoke to the team to voice his concerns over the rising issue.
“It’s getting worse by the year, by the week, by the day,” Giolito said. “I know that there are very easy things that you can do…you can go private on social media, you can block accounts, (but) it only goes so far.”
Manfred was “taken aback” by the abuse Giolito described and responded to his pleas, saying, “Oh, maybe this is something that we should look into.”
Helping the situation
Giolito suggested implementing a program during rookie orientation to help educate and assist players on how to handle these situations, something that wasn’t in place when Giolito entered the league in 2016.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned PASPA in 2018, opening the door for regulated sports betting, 39 states and Washington, D.C. legalized wagering. Players have been more vocal over the last two seasons regarding bettors’ abuse.
“The threats when a player doesn’t perform well, threats to their family, threats to their life, it’s getting very tiring,” Giolito said. “I worry for guys that maybe are new to the league and aren’t ready for something like that.”
Giolito said much of the harassment he’s faced comes via social media sites Instagram and X. His girlfriend even received “nasty” messages from angry bettors. Giolito reported these instances to the sites, but he says they never take any action.
Other cases of harassment
In May, Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. received death threats from a disgruntled international bettor, but before the individual was identified, McCullers hired personal security to protect his wife and daughters.
Detroit Tigers outfielder Riley Greene said he deleted his Instagram account because of harassment from bettors. Other players said they’ve received payment requests on peer-to-peer transactional app Venmo to cover gamblers’ losses.
A fan followed Cleveland Guardians pitcher Logan Allen home last season after that fan lost a bet. Those types of situations are what concern Giolito the most, saying a bettor in a “drastic state” could seriously harm a player.
“Even games where I pitched well, where they’re mad at me because I hit the strikeout over instead of being under; prop bets, all these crazy things,” Giolito said. “People put hundreds of dollars on it. They don’t have a lot of money, but they’re gambling it anyway because it’s a disease. They freak out.”