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WTA and ITF Publish Season-wide Online Abuse and Threat Report

Published

3 months ago

June 23, 2025

Reading Time: 4 minutes

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.

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

• 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.

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.

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.”

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Latest News

PAGCOR WORKERS BRIEFED ON SAFE USE OF AI CHAT TOOL

Published

2 days ago

October 3, 2025

George Miller

Reading Time: < 1 minute

The Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) on Tuesday, September 30, conducted an agency-wide orientation on the responsible use of Microsoft Copilot with governance safeguards in observance of Development Policy Research Month (DPRM).

Anchored on this year’s theme, “Reimagining Governance in the Age of AI,” the online session underscored the need to embrace artificial intelligence responsibly to ensure that innovation is balanced with accountability and transparency in the workplace.

The Microsoft Copilot Chat Masterclass was facilitated via Microsoft Teams by AI Workforce Specialist Christeen Padilla, with 98 employees from PAGCOR’s corporate offices and branches in attendance.

Padilla introduced Microsoft Copilot Chat, a secure AI-powered assistant designed to boost productivity through features such as drafting correspondence, summarizing reports, generating ideas, and answering work-related queries.

She also distinguished between the free Copilot Chat, which provides web-sourced responses, and the M365 Chat version, which delivers organization-specific replies.

Employees with an M365 Chat license can also access specialized tools such as Researcher, Analyst, Prompt Coach, Writing Coach, Idea Coach, Career Coach, Learning Coach, Surveys, and Microsoft 365 Admin.

Citing industry data, Padilla noted that 86 percent of AI-assisted chat application users in the Philippines had adopted Copilot in 2024, reflecting the country’s rapid shift toward AI-powered workplace solutions.

While highlighting Copilot’s potential to streamline tasks and improve efficiency, the orientation also placed strong emphasis on governance safeguards to ensure its responsible use. These include compliance with enterprise data protection standards, observance of organizational policies, and vigilance in distinguishing between web-based and internal data to protect sensitive information.

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Latest News

Broadway Gaming Announces Leadership Transition as COO Becomes CEO

Published

2 days ago

October 3, 2025

George Miller

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Broadway Gaming, a leading provider of online bingo and casino, today announced the appointment of Mark Cleary as its new Chief Executive Officer, effective immediately. Founder and outgoing CEO David Butler will assume the role of Executive Chairman.

The leadership transition marks a key milestone in Broadway Gaming’s growth journey, positioning the company for its next phase of scale and strategic development.

“Mark is a deeply respected leader who has helped shape the success of Broadway Gaming,” said David. “This transition has been carefully planned, and I have full confidence in his ability to lead the company forward. As Executive Chairman, I’ll continue to be actively involved in driving our long-term vision, partnerships and potential mergers and acquisitions.”

Mark has served as COO since 2018, overseeing operations, compliance, payments and HR. Under his leadership, Broadway Gaming has expanded its footprint across key markets and delivered sustained growth and engagement.

“I’m honoured to take on the CEO role and lead an exceptional team,” said Mark.

“Broadway Gaming has an exciting future ahead, and I’m committed to building on the strong foundations that David has laid to deliver even greater value for our players, partners, and people.”

Broadway Gaming will continue to focus on innovation, customer experience, and responsible gaming as core pillars of its long-term strategy.

The post Broadway Gaming Announces Leadership Transition as COO Becomes CEO appeared first on European Gaming Industry News.

Latest News

Atlaslive Partners with Magnum to Expand Local Payment Access in Brazil

Published

2 days ago

October 3, 2025

George Miller

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Atlaslive, a leading B2B software company and iGaming platform provider, has entered into a partnership with Magnum, a financial institution in Brazil regulated by the Central Bank and focused on secure digital transactions.

This collaboration enables Atlaslive operators to offer an additional local payment option integrated directly into the Atlaslive platform. By doing so, it supports operators in regulated markets with secure, compliant, and fast payment flows tailored to Brazil.

“Expanding and diversifying payment access is central to our promise of flexibility,” said Milica Jovanovic, CBDO at Atlaslive. “By partnering with Magnum, we’re reinforcing our ability to help operators grow in Brazil with payment solutions that are reliable, transparent, and built for scale.”

Magnum, authorized by the Central Bank, brings proven expertise in digital banking and payment services. For operators, this means localized solutions aligned with Brazil’s financial regulations and digital economy.

“Joining forces with Atlaslive allows us to bring our technology to a wider network of operators,” said Mário Graziano, Head of Business Development. “We are excited to support secure, fast, and convenient payment journeys that align with Brazil’s evolving digital economy.”

The agreement reinforces Atlaslive’s growth in Latin America, where regulated payment options play a decisive role in compliance, licensing, and player trust.

About Atlaslive

Atlaslive is a B2B software company delivering a fully managed iGaming platform for regulated markets. Designed for fast launches, real-time control, and modular scalability, the platform supports operators across LATAM and EMEA.

About Magnum

Magnum SCD is a financial institution in Brazil authorized by the Central Bank to provide digital accounts, payments, and credit services. As a direct PIX participant and official Visa card issuer, Magnum enables instant and reliable transactions. Combining compliance, transparency, and innovation, Magnum offers payment infrastructure that supports sectors including betting, retail, and digital commerce.

This document is provided to you for your information and discussion only. This document was based on public sources of information and was created by the Atlaslive team for marketing usage. It is not a solicitation or an offer to buy or sell any gambling-related product. Nothing in this document constitutes legal or business development advice. This document has been prepared from sources Atlaslive believes to be reliable, but we do not guarantee its accuracy or completeness and do not accept liability for any loss arising from its use. Atlaslive reserves the right to remedy any errors that may be present in this document.

About Atlaslive

Atlaslive, formerly known as Atlas-IAC, underwent a rebranding campaign in May 2024. It is a B2B software development company that specializes in creating a multifunctional and automated platform to optimize the workflow of sports betting and casino operators. Key components of the Atlaslive Platform include Sportsbook, Casino, Risk Management and Anti-Fraud Tools, CRM, Bonus Engine, Business Analytics, Payment Systems, and Retail Module. Follow the company on LinkedIn to stay updated with the latest news in iGaming technology.

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