Boston Red Sox pitcher Lucas Giolito hasn’t shied away from making his feelings known about the ever-growing legal sports betting sector’s impact on baseball players. He took MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred to task at a meeting this week about the harassment he and his girlfriend have received from irate bettors.
especially concerned for young players entering the league who aren’t prepared for the hate
Giolito said the abuse after bad games is “getting very tiring” and he’s especially concerned for young players entering the league who aren’t prepared for the hate. He stated that he gets angry messages after every single game, which is significant given the regular MLB season is 162 games.
Even when he plays well, he comes in for flak if he doesn’t meet prop bet targets, claimed Giolito. He said betting is a “disease” for many people who are gambling with money they can’t afford to lose, which leads to them making wrong decisions.
Giolito believes that it might only be a matter of time before a player is the victim of an assault from an angry bettor.
Some MLB players have already come in for extreme threats, with law enforcement identifying a man last month who made threats against the life of Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. and family members.
