The Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and International Tennis Federation (ITF) published the first-ever season-wide report outlining the scale of abuse directed at players on social media — and are calling on the gambling industry to more effectively tackle those responsible.

The report findings are taken from Signify Group’s Threat Matrix service, which went live in January 2024, protecting players and tennis family members from targeted online hate, as well as threatening and violent direct communication. Utilising AI and human analysts — including risk and fixated threat assessment experts — the service operates across all the major social media platforms in over 40 languages. All players competing in WTA Tour and ITF World Tennis Tour events (and WTA and ITF players competing in the four Grand Slams) — c8300 players — are automatically covered by the service.

Between January to December 2024,1.6 million posts and comments were analysed by Threat Matrix AI. Analysts then verified c8000 posts/comments sent from 4200 accounts as abusive, violent or threatening. Action has been taken against the most serious and prolific of these, including 15 accounts escalated to law enforcement. During the year, 458 players were targeted with direct abuse or threat, five players received 26% of the total abuse identified, while 97 prolific accounts were responsible for 23% of all detected abuse.

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Given the evidence highlighted by Threat Matrix, the tennis bodies now call for a constructive dialogue with the gambling industry to tackle the individuals that engage in prolific or highly threatening online abuse connected to sports betting.

Prolific Abuse and Angry Gamblers

• Angry gamblers sent 40% of all detected abuse across the year

• 10 prolific accounts [majority being angry gambler related] were responsible for 12% of all abuse — of these, nine have either been suspended, posts permanently deleted by the platform or the user has removed their post(s)

• Details of 39 account holders (majority angry gambler related) who sent prolific abuse have been shared with the tennis authorities and betting industry for further action

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• The most prolific abusive account sent 263 abusive messages.

Action

• 15 cases of egregious and highly threatening abuse have been investigated and evidence provided to law enforcement for assessment and action — four related to Grand Slams, one from the Paris Olympic Games and 10 were from across the tours

• Of the 15 cases, three have been submitted to the FBI and 12 to other national law enforcement bodies

• Relevant account details have been shared with event security teams (both Tours and Grand Slams) to ban these individuals from access to venues and rescind tickets. This has also included threats to men’s and women’s players detected by Threat Matrix during Grand Slam events.

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Direct Abuse Communication Support

The Threat Matrix service also includes support for players who receive direct abuse, threat and inappropriate communication via DMs, email and letter. Players use a designated email address to share relevant content, enabling Threat Matrix to conduct threat assessment, provide direct player advice and liaise with security bodies to manage risk.

During 2024, 56 reports of concerning communication were received from 28 players, the vast majority coming in the final quarter of the year due to heightened awareness of the service. Angry gamblers made up the vast majority of direct abuse (77%) — at a higher level compared to open-source social media (40%) — as abusers seek to cause direct emotional distress to players following lost bets. Player reported direct abuse has continued to rise in 2025 as players and agents become more aware of the support service.

Social Media Moderation

To further reduce hateful and abusive content targeting players, the WTA and ITF are also enhancing the existing Threat Matrix service to include social media moderation. Moderation allows online toxicity to be hidden or removed in real time across the majority of Social Media platforms. The service will automatically deploy across WTA and ITF official social media channels and be available to all tour players on request. The service will go live in the coming weeks.

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A spokesperson for the WTA and ITF said: “Protecting players and the wider tennis family from vile online threat and abuse is a key priority for us. Today’s report covering the first year of the Threat Matrix service shows the scale of the problem and, crucially, the actions being taken to protect our athletes. From law enforcement escalation and platform intervention to banning abusers from our events, perpetrators must understand that they will face consequences for their actions.

“Given the clear evidence highlighted by Threat Matrix on the link between angry gamblers and prolific online abuse and threat, we are calling for a constructive dialogue with the gambling industry to help tackle this issue. Everyone — betting operators, social media platforms, governing bodies, players and law enforcers — has a responsibility to make the online space a safer and more positive one. We hope the gambling industry responds constructively to our call for more action on their part.”

Jessica Pegula, Member of the WTA Players’ Council, said: “Online abuse is unacceptable, and something that no player should have to endure. I welcome the work that the WTA and ITF are doing with Threat Matrix to identify and take action against the abusers, whose behavior is so often linked to gambling. But it’s not enough on its own. It’s time for the gambling industry and social media companies to tackle the problem at its source and act to protect everyone facing these threats.”

Jonathan Hirshler, CEO of Signify Group, said: “This unique dataset, covering all players across international tennis tours and Grand Slams, illustrates that a relatively small number of accounts are responsible for a significant proportion of prolific abuse and trolling. While this is deeply distressing for the athletes targeted, it means that we are able to be even more focused working with the platforms to ensure successful take down, support the tennis bodies to drive law enforcement intervention for the most egregious accounts and work with event security teams to ensure prolific abusers are unable to attend tournaments. This action-orientated approach underpins the Threat Matrix service.”

Amusnet Italy announced that their highly anticipated game, Dice Ways, is launching exclusively in Italy. The team is particularly delighted with the collaboration, as Dice Ways represents a new niche for them in the market, opening exciting opportunities. Thanks to their established partnership, Sisal will be the sole provider of the dice slot from June 20 to July 20, 2025. This exciting exclusivity is evidence to Sisal’s eagerness to enrich its portfolio with engaging, top-notch gaming experiences, further solidifying its prominent presence in the Italian market.

“We are delighted to deepen our partnership with Sisal through the exclusive launch of Dice Ways. Sisal has a significant market presence and a deep understanding of its players’ preferences. We are confident that Dice Ways, with its innovative mechanics and high win potential, will be a significant success and further enhance their gaming portfolio,” said Polina Nedyalkova, Director of Amusnet Italy.

Dice Ways is an innovative video slot game with a captivating dice theme. This dynamic setup provides players with up to 200,704 ways to win, powered by the thrilling Megaways mechanic. The game also includes popular features such as Autoplay and Gamble, enhancing player engagement.

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Fundación Flutter has been awarded Institution of the Year by the jury of the 7th International Responsible Gaming and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Awards, in recognition of its dedication to addressing social challenges, empowering communities and promoting sustainable development in Ceuta.

Launched in May 2024 by Flutter Entertainment, the Foundation is a non-profit organisation which was established in a short period of time as a key player in the field of sustainability.

The award recognises the foundation’s implementation of its STEM Scholarship Programme – including the allocation of €80,000 in scholarships for studies in these areas – in collaboration with the regional Department of Education.

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Also key to winning this award was the promotion of a pioneering oncology nutrition service in partnership with the AECC Ceuta (Spanish Association of Cancer Patients) and a donation to the Ceuta Food Bank, intended for the completion of a new logistics warehouse that will expand its distribution capacity by 25% and serve more than 1200 families per month.

In the field of sports, the Foundation supports the “Flutter x el deporte” programme which provides direct support to sports projects that promote social inclusion, equality and grassroots sports, including adapted sports.

This Institution of the Year award recognises not only the intensity and effectiveness of the initiatives carried out in 2024 and 2025, but also the Foundation’s long-term vision, aligned with the Do More pillar of Flutter Entertainment’s Positive Impact Plan, which aims to benefit 10 million people by 2030.

Jacqueline Mecinas, President of the Jury at the International Responsible Gaming and CSR Award, said: “We are delighted to award the Flutter Foundation the Institution of the Year award. In just over a year, it has demonstrated how corporate commitment can translate into tangible and sustainable change for thousands of people. Flutter’s work in Ceuta, from STEM scholarships to combating food insecurity, exemplifies a bold, inclusive vision of corporate social responsibility focused on education, health, nutrition, and sports with a strong commitment to equality and social justice.

“It is a true honor to recognize Flutter with this award in an edition that reaffirms that responsible gaming is not only measured by prevention, but also by contributing to the common good.”

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Esther Martín-Ortega, Head of Public Affairs and Sustainability, Spain & Other Countries at Flutter International, said: “This award is a testament to the power of collaboration and commitment. We are incredibly proud to be recognized for the positive impact of our CSR initiatives in Ceuta and Spain, as a whole. This inspires us to continue empowering communities and work towards a more sustainable future.”