ESPN contributes $200K to UNLV's efforts to make sports betting safer

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV)’s International Gaming Institute (IGI) has received a $200,000 donation from ESPN, a media company, to advance its understanding of how sports betting may become safer for participants as the research institution seeks to address the new challenges and complex issues that have arisen from the mass legalization of sports gambling back in 2018.

ESPN’s donation will strengthen IGI’s efforts as to how sports gambling can be represented in media in a sustainable and responsive way, noted IGI Executive Director Brett Abarbanel. All of this will happen as part of a dedicated program launched by the university which will focus on five main pillars, including:

• Enhancing Responsible Gambling
• Developing Evidence-Based Insights
• Responsible Marketing Practices
• Creating Responsible Gambling Program Parameters
• Educating Industry Leaders

This collaboration comes at a time when there have been calls for the blanket ban of sports gambling references in advertisements and media, although the proposal is very unlikely to gain federal or indeed local traction.

"The growth of betting and gambling subjects in US media have exploded in the past five years," Abarbanel noted. As content continues to increase, so have research efforts to better understand what the most responsible way to leverage this new opportunity are.

ESPN VP of Corporate Citizenship Kevin Martinez was similarly happy to see his company support UNLV in ensuring that the world of sports betting is responsible and accountable, with IGI now helping create a more robust regulatory framework for gambling advertisement and indeed responsible play. Sports betting ought to be both entertaining and responsible, notes Martinez:

"Our investment reflects our commitment to ensuring that the world of sports betting is not only entertaining but also responsible. We are eager to work alongside UNLV's International Gaming Institute in advancing industry standards."

This donation comes at a time when ESPN BET, ESPN’s betting division, has launched in 17 states in the USA, and is planning on taking the world of sports gambling by storm. The program will seek to preemptively address a range of matters that are important for the industry’s long-term sustainability such as marketing materials educating industry leaders, using an evidence-based approach to inform business decisions and more.

The intersection between media and sports gambling is becoming more pronounced of late, as previously, FOX also launched a dedicated sportsbook, and with ESPN’s joining, the line between sports media and wagering is even thinner. To ensure the best possible experience robust standards need to be set in place, and this is where this new collaboration comes in.

Image credit: UNLV