“Go k*** yourself,” Tyler Kolek received this message from a fan in his rookie season because one of his plays in a New York Knicks game cost the fan his parlay. In the last few years, the NBA’s evolving stance on sports betting has unfortunately led to players being banned for life and indicted in federal investigations. However, the most villainous part of all is how it has strained the relationship between players and fans.

While the frustration of losing parlays had previously remained limited to social media, it is now boiling over into the real world. For Fred VanVleet, while he could previously ignore threats on social media, he revealed being caught off guard at church.

“The internet doesn’t bother me, it’s the in-person one you got to be careful of,” the 31-year-old said on the Club520 Podcast. “I had somebody run down on me in church. N****, you f***** up my parlay. In church. I said, ‘Damn, three thousand?’ It was some young, I couldn’t believe it. But I mean, that is real out here.”

Almost every part of the game is now being parlayed, which means, in the grand scheme of things, no matter what a player does, he will leave someone upset. While fans have longed for NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to find a way to curb the surge in gambling, a December 2025 report from Shams Charania implied the league was taking a very different stance on the issue.

“The NBA is enacting several sports betting policies to its 30 teams, including changing injury reporting rules: Teams now will be required to resubmit injury listings on game day between 11 am and 1 pm local time and update public reports every 15 minutes, sources tell ESPN,” Charania posted.

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Based on available 2025 data (January to September), sports betting generated $2.71 billion in state tax revenue. Over the same period in 2024, it brought in $2.15 billion. The total 2024 revenue was $2.99 billion. According to USAFacts.org, betting tax revenue has increased year-on-year since data collection began in 2021.

Gambling has also had fans yelling at players and coaches during games. The Houston Rockets star is just one of many NBA victims.

Players and coaches have long shown concerns about the dangerous side of NBA betting

Knicks star Jalen Brunson previously reported receiving “disrespectful” messages almost after every game because someone lost money after he didn’t score one more point or make an extra assist.

The Detroit Pistons’ currently suspended star, Isaiah Stewart, divulged receiving messages from fans who had targeted his family, including his wife and son. Corey Kispert, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart, and Tyrese Haliburton are among the few players who have reported harassment cases.

In 2024, when J.B. Bickerstaff was the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers, a gambler somehow got his phone number. Bickerstaff revealed that the fan left a series of threatening messages, claiming to know where his family lived.

“It is a dangerous game and a fine line that we’re walking for sure,” Bickerstaff said.

While the league has certainly taken measures to address threats to players, awareness remains very limited. In 2024, an NBA spokesperson told The Athletic that the league has a protocol allowing players to report harassment incidents to their team or the league office.

The league also monitors social media activity by fans who post threatening messages to players and coaches, and, if deemed necessary, the front office or authorities can involve law enforcement. However, multiple players claimed they were unaware of these protocols.

Knicks guard Mikal Bridges looked at the lighter side, quipping, “I don’t get anything when I win them a bet. Where’s my money at?”

Ultimately, the players are the victims, often blamed for outcomes they can’t control and completely unaware of the bets they’ve supposedly ruined.