Scottie Scheffler closes Venmo account following harassment by sports bettors
The world’s top golfer, Scottie Scheffler, recently closed his Venmo account after being constantly bothered by bettors.
In a pre-2025 US Open interview with The Athletic, Scheffler said that the mobile payments app had become a vehicle for unwanted advances from bettors, ranging from payment solicitations to unwanted gambling propositions.
Once his public username had been revealed, Scheffler found himself a regular target for gambling solicitations. While there were not many financial requests, he said the sheer number of abusive messages was the biggest grievance, causing him to leave the app entirely.
Scheffler stated, “I think everybody hears from fans whether they have a financial benefit or anything in their outcome. That’s why I had to get rid of my Venmo because I was either getting paid by people or people requesting me a bunch of money when I didn’t win. It wasn’t a good feeling.”
Scheffler’s experience highlights a greater issue in professional sports. Athletes increasingly decry being harassed by bettors on social media and through betting sites.
Recent instances include threats against MLB pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. and in-person verbal threats against track athlete Gabby Thomas, whose harasser was suspended from FanDuel.
However, organizations like the NCAA have introduced measures to reduce online abuse. In its March Madness survey, the NCAA revealed that online abuse through sports betting had declined 23% year-on-year.
Dig deeper
2025/04/11: Campaign for Fairer Gambling report estimates illegal operators account for 74% of US igaming
2025/02/06: Payflo and MoneyGram partner on new payment options for US bettors
2025/04/07: DraftKings and FanDuel sued by Baltimore officials for exploiting bettors
2025/05/05: Genius Sports launches BetVision for Soccer
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