Five major sports leagues and their players associations asked U.S. gambling regulators on September 15, 2026, to permanently exclude bettors who threaten or abusively harass athletes, coaches, officials, team staff or their families. The request covers regulators in 35 states and Washington, D.C. It does not apply directly to Canadian provincial authorities, the Associated Press reported.

The National Football League, Major League Baseball, National Basketball Association, Major League Soccer and National Hockey League called for three measures:

  • Permanent betting bans for verified abusers.
  • A faster system for reporting threats.
  • Stronger monitoring of accounts linked to harassment.

The Associated Press reported that Ohio, West Virginia, Louisiana and Wyoming already exclude some bad actors from licensed betting platforms. The leagues want similar protections adopted more widely.

Why Canada is watching

The National Football League is the only one of the five leagues without a Canadian team. Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, Major League Soccer and the National Hockey League all have Canadian clubs or franchises.

The leagues' games are also offered through regulated betting markets in Ontario and Alberta. The U.S. request does not automatically change Canadian rules. Gambling regulation remains a provincial responsibility.

Neither Ontario nor Alberta has announced an equivalent cross-operator policy in the provincial frameworks reviewed for this article.

Ontario has account controls, but not this specific ban

In Ontario, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario regulates internet gaming. iGaming Ontario commercially manages private-sector offerings under operating agreements. Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation manages its own online offering through OLG.ca.

Ontario's regulatory guidance allows operators to act against harmful player behaviour. Possible measures include restrictions, account suspension and account closure.

The guidance focuses on gambling-related harm. It does not establish a league-wide or province-wide permanent ban for threats against sports personnel.

A permanent ban based on verified harassment would require shared standards across operators. Regulators would also need rules on evidence, privacy and inconsistent decisions between sportsbooks.

Alberta's market is new

Alberta's regulated iGaming market officially launched on July 13, 2026. The Alberta iGaming Corporation oversees market operations, while Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis acts as the regulator.

Alberta requires operators to identify and respond to high-risk player behaviour. Operators must also provide limits and integrate the province's centralized self-exclusion platform.

Those safeguards focus on gambling harm and player protection. Published provincial material does not show a specific permanent betting ban for customers who threaten athletes or officials.

What regulators would have to decide

  • Evidence: Whether a verified social media message, police report, team complaint or operator investigation would trigger a ban.
  • Scope: Whether the ban would apply to one sportsbook, all regulated operators in a province, or both Ontario and Alberta.
  • Privacy: How operators could share information while complying with Canadian privacy rules.
  • Due process: Whether customers could challenge an identification or appeal a permanent exclusion.
  • Enforcement: How operators would detect attempts to reopen accounts under new identities or through another platform.
The immediate Canadian question is whether existing operator-level controls are sufficient when alleged misconduct targets people connected to sporting events.

The leagues' proposal treats betting-related abuse as a market-integrity and safety issue, not only as a customer-service dispute.

No Canadian regulator was named in the U.S. request. Any comparable action in Canada would need to come through the relevant provincial regulator, conduct-and-manage entity, operator agreements or new provincial policy.