The Ottawa Senators aren’t any strangers to on-ice battles, however captain Brady Tkachuk not too long ago revealed he’s been coping with a really totally different sort of confrontation, one which comes from sports activities gamblers off the ice. In an interview with ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski, Tkachuk defined that he as soon as had a public Venmo account beneath his personal title, which allowed anybody to simply discover and get in touch with him.
It didn’t take lengthy earlier than sports activities bettors started exploiting that entry. After video games the place he didn’t meet sure expectations tied to wagers, strangers would ship him unsolicited fee requests. The messages have been usually sarcastic, demanding compensation for misplaced bets.
“Individuals assume I’m actually going to ship them cash?” Tkachuk stated in disbelief. “You actually assume I care about your parlay?”
“Do you actually assume I care about your parlay?”
Brady Tkachuk (@Senators) tells me that he modified his Venmo as a result of so many gamblers have been asking him to cowl their losses. #NHL pic.twitter.com/VjqywJAlqy
— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) August 12, 2025
Annoyed by the barrage, Tkachuk determined to vary his Venmo profile settings, making it harder for the general public to trace him down. Whereas it was a easy repair, the expertise displays a rising problem for skilled athletes in an period the place sports activities betting is extra accessible and extra private than ever earlier than.
Athletes have all the time handled criticism from followers, however direct entry by social media and different platforms has modified the dynamic. Now, fee apps like Venmo are getting used to succeed in gamers in ways in which blur the strains between fan engagement and harassment.
In Tkachuk’s case, the entitlement displayed by some bettors, believing he ought to reimburse them for a foul evening’s wager, underscores how betting tradition can distort perceptions of an athlete’s function. NHL gamers compete to win and carry out for his or her groups, to not fulfill betting strains or props.
Tkachuk’s feedback come at a time when Venmo and playing have been within the information for different causes. Lately, Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer drew consideration over public Venmo transactions labeled as sports activities bets, igniting debates in regards to the overlap between athletes, betting platforms, and fan conduct.
Whereas the conditions differ, they share a typical thread: sports activities betting is now entrenched within the sports activities panorama, and it’s creating new, and typically uncomfortable, factors of contact between gamers and the general public.
For the Senators captain, the core message is straightforward. Athletes dedicate their total lives to reaching the highest degree of competitors. Their focus is on efficiency, crew success, and self-improvement — not on whether or not a bettor’s multi-leg parlay cashes.
Nonetheless, a small minority of followers proceed to direct frustrations at gamers when bets go mistaken. In Tkachuk’s case, that meant a string of Venmo requests after video games, which served as each a distraction and a nuisance.
By adjusting his privateness settings, Tkachuk eliminated the direct hyperlink for these interactions. However the episode highlights a broader dialog about boundaries between athletes and followers within the playing period. Whereas expertise can deliver supporters nearer to their favourite gamers, it will possibly additionally open doorways for negativity and unrealistic expectations.
For now, Tkachuk’s stance is obvious: his accountability is to his crew and the sport, to not a stranger’s betting slip. In his personal phrases, he doesn’t care about anybody’s parlay; he cares about serving to the Ottawa Senators win.