Sports Bettor ‘Parlay Patz’ Under House Arrest for Threatening to Kill Rays Players, Their Families

With gambling continuing to be legalized across the country, more people than ever have access to betting. Expect more of these stories to start happening. Sports bettor Parlay Patz has been sentenced to six months of home detention and 36 months of probation for a series of death threats against players on the Tampa Bay Rays, ESPN’s David Purdum reports.

Via ESPN:

In a criminal complaint released in 2020, the U.S. Department of Justice claimed Patz targeted 307 social media accounts, primarily belonging to professional and collegiate athletes and their family members or significant others. The complaint stated that players for the New England Patriots, Toronto Blue Jays, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, Tampa Bay Rays and Pepperdine University men’s college basketball team were among the targets.

In his plea agreement, Patz acknowledged sending threats via direct message on Instagram to four Rays players after a game against the Chicago White Sox on July 20, 2019.

The message included: “I will sever your neck open you pathetic [expletive]”; “I will enter your home while you sleep”; “And sever your neck open”; “I will kill your entire family”; “Everyone you love will soon cease”; “I will cut up your family”; and “Dismember then [sic] alive.”

Sports bettor targeted 307 social media accounts, primarily belonging to professional and collegiate athletes and their family members or significant others, per DOJ. https://t.co/JMYz13IYCn

— David Payne Purdum (@DavidPurdum) June 3, 2021

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Patz gained fame in the sports gambling world for winning $1.1 million via a series of parlays, picking up the nickname “Parlay Patz.”

Sounds like the gambling brought out a serious dark side.

Gambling is going to cause a lot of problems for people as states continue to legalize it.

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