Sports betting might be the modern-day adrenaline hit for fans — but for Lucas Giolito and a growing list of MLB players, it’s becoming a very real, very dangerous problem.
Speaking on the Baseball Isn’t Boring podcast this week, the Red Sox right-hander didn’t hold back. He opened up about the ugly underbelly of the betting boom, and how fantasy leagues and prop wagers have morphed into full-on personal threats — not just to him, but to his family.
“The threats when a player doesn’t perform well — threats to their family, threats to their life — it’s getting very tiring,” Giolito said. This isn’t hyperbole. This is the daily reality for players in the modern betting age.
The Manfred Conversation That Hit Home
Giolito has now played for four teams since 2023. He revealed that he even took these concerns directly to Commissioner Rob Manfred. And during that conversation, he posed a tough question:
“Is it going to take a player getting assaulted in front of their apartment building by some disgruntled guy that lost a bet for real action to be taken?”
According to Giolito, Manfred was stunned. And while that reaction might be genuine, it’s also not enough — not when players are dealing with death threats over strikeout props and harassment over fantasy points.
Betting Lines, Prop Plays, and Online Rage
Giolito’s frustrations stem from the modern betting culture that now allows users to wager on everything: whether a player will record 5+ strikeouts, drive in an RBI, steal a base — even what will happen in a single at-bat.
And the backlash doesn’t wait for a press conference. “I’m getting messages after every game,” Giolito said. “Even games where I pitch well, they’re mad because I hit the strikeout over instead of the under, or whatever the prop bet was.”
His girlfriend has been targeted. So have the wives of other players. Just last month, Carlos Rodón’s wife posted some of the vile messages she received after a June loss. Lance McCullers and Liam Hendriks reported receiving death threats earlier this season, one of which was traced to an inebriated overseas bettor, according to Houston police.
This Isn’t About Thin Skin — It’s About Safety
Let’s make something clear: this isn’t about players not being able to take criticism. This is about fans with a gambling addiction who cross the line into real-world threats.
“[People] put hundreds of dollars on it and they don’t have a lot of money, but they’re gambling it anyway because it’s a disease,” Giolito added. “They freak out.” And they aim that rage at whoever they think “cost” them — even if it’s someone who just didn’t hit their parlay leg.
The issue isn’t going away. Sports leagues have embraced gambling revenue. Prop bets and fantasy lines are front and center in every broadcast. But what happens when the fan who used to boo from the stands is now DM’ing threats after losing $50 on a strikeout?
That’s what players — especially younger ones — are now walking into every day. And until the league draws a hard line, the abuse will keep coming. Giolito’s message was loud and clear. The question now: Will MLB actually listen? Or will it take a worst-case scenario before anything changes?
