SBC Americas

NCAA probe finds 13 former basketball players violated betting rules

The NCAA is poised to take action against another group of men’s college basketball players who are accused of violating the organization’s sports betting rules.

Just one day after levying bans against three former NCAA student-athletes, the governing body of college sports in America is pursuing additional sports betting violations against 13 former men’s basketball players who competed across six institutions:

Arizona State

Eastern Michigan

Mississippi Valley

New Orleans

North Carolina A&T

Temple

The NCAA Committee on Infractions is investigating alleged violations that include student-athletes wagering on or against their own teams, sharing information for gambling with third parties and knowingly manipulating the scoring or outcome of competitions.

An unknown number of the student-athletes also refused to cooperate with the probe.

An updated version of the NCAA guidelines includes punishments for student-athletes who influence the outcome of their own games or provide gam..

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Three former Fresno State basketball players receive NCAA ban for betting

Three men’s college basketball players had their NCAA eligibility permanently revoked on Wednesday following an investigation by the organization into gambling-related infractions.

Three former Fresno State basketball players, Mykell Robinson, Steven Vasquez and Jalen Weaver received permanent bans after the NCAA Committee on Infractions initiated a probe that found the former NCAA student-athletes “manipulated their performances” to win bets with payouts distributed between themselves and third parties.

The infractions took place during the 2024-25 regular season.

NCAA gambling rules prohibit wagering by all players, coaches, and team officials on events sponsored by the organization. Rules also ban betting on professional competition.

The NCAA’s investigation was initiated in February following self-reporting by Fresno State and a sports betting integrity monitoring service about suspicious prop wagers placed on Robinson. The self-reporting by Fresno State came from head men’s ba..

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Kindbridge announces Stigma Stand Down campaign for Colorado military

Active duty service members and veterans in Colorado are being provided with mental health and responsible gambling resources with the launch of a new initiative.

The Kindbridge Research Institute announced on Monday the debut of Stigma Stand Down (SSD), an initiative in Colorado aimed at combating mental health and gambling-related issues faced by active duty service members, veterans and their families.

Kindbridge is offering resources to Colorado service members and veterans with gambling disorder, which is 3.5 times more prevalent in service members and veterans compared to civilians. According to Kindbridge, SSD provides resources to a Colorado market that is home to more than 60,000 active duty and reserve military personnel.

Kindbridge is launching SSD with the help of grants from FanDuel and the Colorado Division of Gaming.

“Stigma is a silent enemy that leaves our service members and veterans isolated, harming their families, units, and mission readiness,” said Kindbridge ..

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FanDuel and ESPN Bet latest sportsbooks to add NFL injury refund measures

Two more U.S. sportsbooks have hopped on the bandwagon and introduced measures designed to allow NFL bettors to protect their bets in the event that a player leaves the game with an early injury.

After DraftKings unveiled its Early Exit program a few weeks ago, which allows users to receive cash credits equal to the amount wagered if the bet in question is “significantly impacted” by a player leaving the game early due to injury, FanDuel and ESPN Bet have followed suit.

FanDuel announced on Sept. 2 a new Bet Protect program, wherein customers get bonus bets back on pre-game NFL player props if the bet-on player gets injured in the first quarter of a game. The program will pay out all straight wagers in bonus bets within 24 hours, while parlays will be re-priced with new odds. If the player in question was the only losing leg, the parlay or SGP will be paid out in bonus bets like a straight bet.

Then, on NFL kickoff day on Sept. 4, ESPN Bet launched an “injury insurance” policy that ..

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FanDuel recruits ex-NCPG chief Keith Whyte as RG strategist

FanDuel has marked Responsible Gaming Education Month (RGEM) with a major personnel hire, recruiting former National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) chief Keith Whyte as a responsible gambling strategist.

FanDuel announced on Wednesday that former NCPG Executive Director Whyte has joined the operator as its new responsible gaming strategic advisor. Whyte left the NCPG abruptly and unexpectedly in January after 26 years with the organization, and not much light has been shed on his departure in the months since.

Now, he will advise the U.S. market-leading sportsbook on shaping its RG strategy and programs moving forward, including identifying new opportunities for advocacy, advancing and extending partnerships and leading and developing various RG-focused events. He will also contribute to FanDuel’s ongoing responsible gaming initiatives, including consulting on and creating new content for the Trusted Voices: Conversations About Betting program, which FanDuel launched last year in..

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ROGA and RGC debut responsible gaming certification program

The Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA) is collaborating with the Responsible Gambling Council (RGC) to establish a new standard in the industry.

On Tuesday, ROGA and the RGC announced a partnership to launch a certification program for online operators in the U.S. The certification creates a new industry benchmark through an evaluation of self-exclusion and player support tools. Staff training is also evaluated during the certification process designed to bolster RG programs and practices.

The certification identifies operators that go beyond state and regulatory standards.

“A sustainable online gaming industry must be built on evidence-based best practices, and this partnership with RGC will advance this mission by building a trusted and independent assessment to certify robust responsible gaming standards,” said ROGA Executive Director Dr. Jennifer Shatley.

ROGA members will undergo evaluation for the certification with the group accounting for roughly 90% of the legal ..

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NJ group asks court for immediate control of 1-800-GAMBLER helpline

The organization that holds the license to the 1-800-GAMBLER helpline and the former licensee, the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), continue to be at odd in the Superior Court of New Jersey.

The Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey (CCGNJ) has operated the national problem gambling hotline since the 1980s and licensed it to the NCPG in 2022 in a three-year agreement, which expired on May 31 of this year. After that expiration, with no renewal agreed, the NCPG obtained a temporary restraining order (TRO) in July to keep the hotline online until the dispute is resolved.

However, in an Aug. 18 filing, attorneys for the CCGNJ called for the court to immediately lift the TRO and order the NCPG to immediately cease and desist using 1-800-GAMBLER.

You had your chance, says CCGNJ

The CCGNJ asserted in the filing that the NCPG had the option to renew the license agreement as long as it gave the CCGNJ six months’ written notice before the initial term expired. The CCGNJ s..

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ICRG names ex-Light & Wonder exec Eileen Moore Johnson as board chair

The International Center for Responsible Gaming (ICRG) has named veteran gaming, hospitality and transportation leader Eileen Moore Johnson as the new chair of its board of directors.

Moore Johnson will step into the chair’s role that was vacated by Michael Soll, who is now ICRG president. She joins the ICRG after most recently serving as general manager and strategic advisor to The Boring Company’s Vegas Loop, where she helped develop the first all-electric, zero-emissions underground public transportation system.

Before that, she was an EVP and chief HR officer at Scientific Games/Light & Wonder, where she was responsible for global human resources, sustainability, philanthropy, responsible gaming and DEI initiatives. Her gaming experience also includes two decades working in corporate strategy and operations at Caesars Entertainment, where she rose to the position of regional president supervising four major Las Vegas Strip resorts.

Moore Johnson already serves on the ICRG Execu..

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NCAA & Venmo to provide athletes with tools to combat abuse

The wave of gambling-related harassment toward college athletes spearheaded a new effort by Venmo and the NCAA to foster a safe environment ahead of football season.

On Tuesday, Venmo announced a partnership with the NCAA to protect student-athletes from instances of harassment on the mobile payment service, owned by PayPal. The deal allows Venmo to upgrade its consumer protections for student-athletes who face abuse.

“The harassment we are seeing across various online platforms is unacceptable, and we need fans to do better,” said NCAA President Charlie Baker. “We applaud Venmo for taking action, and we need more social media companies and online platforms to do the same.”

The partnership between Venmo and the NCAA will provide student-athletes with a dedicated reporting hotline for notification of potential cases of abuse. The hotline can spearhead investigations into any harassment directed toward student-athletes.

A best practices guide will also be issued by Venmo to colleges ..

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Coalition for Fantasy Sports and idPair extend self-exclusion to 15 states

The responsible gaming partnership between the Coalition for Fantasy Sports (CFS) and idPair is growing with a self-exclusion program available in a new group of markets.

On Monday, the two entities announced the expansion of their self-exclusion partnership to 13 new markets across America. The expansion allows the CFS and idPair to offer a national self-exclusion program in a total of 15 states are initially launching the service in New Mexico and Nebraska earlier this year. The self-exclusion program is available to five operators and gaming brands that make up the CFS’ current membership.

“After we saw the success of the idPair program in Nebraska and New Mexico, we knew we wanted to expand in a big way,” said CFS Executive Director J.T. Foley. “As we look to the start of the football season, we’re honored to be leading the charge on responsible gaming and making sure player protection remains a top priority as our coalition and the industry grow.”

The CFS and idPair expanded th..

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