Ohio may look into banning unruly bettors after Dayton basketball coach cited attacks on players

Dayton men’s basketball coach Anthony Grant sent a powerful message to Ohio bettors after his team’s win over Davidson on Tuesday: “Take a step back and re-evaluate your priorities.”

Without getting into specifics, Grant made clear his players have been dealing with the repercussions of Ohio sports betting being legalized at the start of the new year.

“There’s some laws that have recently been enacted that really to me, it could really change the landscape of what college sports is all about. And when we have people that make it about themselves and attack kids because of their own agenda, it sickens me,” an emotional Grant said during his postgame presser. “They have families. They don’t deserve that. Mental health is real. So if you’re a Flyer fan, I ask you just to understand what you’re dealing with with young people.”

In response, Ohio Casino Control Commission executive director Matt Schuler suggested during a Wednesday meeting the commission look into banning state bettors who direct violent comments at college athletes on social media.

Such an exclusion list would only work to eliminate in-state bettors and bettors who aren’t hiding behind aliases and burner accounts, but it would represent a positive first step.

The Ohio Casino Control Commission says it will look into banning Ohio gamblers who spread hateful messages to college athletes. https://t.co/7XZNNFFblM

— Bennett Conlin (@BennettConlin) January 18, 2023

"We don’t have control over people's behavior, but we do have control over the venues in how they participate," he said.

— RLinnehanXL (@RLinnehanXl) January 18, 2023

Dayton is 12-6 on the season and tied for first place in the Atlantic 10, but had a seven-game winning streak snapped by underdog VCU on Friday. The Flyers bounced back to beat Davidson, though they also failed to cover the spread of that game.

It’s despicable that so-called fans care more about whether a team covered than whether they won, but that’s what happens when the stakes include personal finances. Some people handle that a lot better than others. So, as long as betting is allowed in the age of social media, it will be almost impossible to eradicate all hate directed at athletes.

Sadly, Grant’s plea and others like it might be the best solutions short of another ban on sports betting altogether.