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The Ohio Casino Control Commission (OCCC) is enhancing its More Than A Bet campaign as student athletes in the state face gambling-related online harassment.

The commission has made updates to its campaign ahead of March Madness, one of the largest sports betting events in America. It is also observing Problem Gambling Awareness Month with the launch of the revamped campaign. The OCCC has reported continual harassment against student athletes despite regulatory steps to combat abuse.

A year ago, Ohio operators were banned from offering NCAA player prop markets.

Ohio group helps launch campaign

Last September, Ohio for Responsible Gambling helped debut the More Than A Bet campaign with up to 25% of abusive messaging toward student athletes being gambling-related. The poor messaging remains rampant as one in three high-profile athletes receive abusive messages with more than 500 of those messages including death threats.

“People are mad when they lose a bet. That’s not an excuse to ..

A pair of college athletic programs are being proactive in notifying the NCAA of gambling-related infractions.

According to documents obtained by the Austin American-Statesman, the University of Texas athletic department has self-reported five NCAA violations related to improper sports betting. The violations were caused by two unnamed football players, a person associated with the women’s tennis team, a student assistant and a staff member.

The self-reported violations occurred between July 2024 and November 2024 with the five individuals spending a combined $14,885 on daily fantasy sports platform PrizePicks.

The five individuals used PrizePicks to wager on statistical player performances as Texas remains one of the last remaining U.S. markets to not offer regulated sports betting.

The University of Texas reported the five individuals as the NCAA bans wagering by all players, coaches, and team officials on events sponsored by the organization whether with sportsbooks or DFS sites..

Ahead of the start of Florida’s legislative session, a pair of bills are looking to enforce stricter punishments for illegal gambling in the Sunshine State and, in doing so, reiterate the Seminole Tribe’s exclusive position.

Rep. Webster Barnaby’s House Bill 953 and Sen. Corey Simon’s Senate Bill 1404 would make it a third-degree felony for anyone other than the Seminole Tribe to operate an online casino or online sportsbook in Florida. In Florida, that level of crime is punishable by up to five years in prison.

Anyone found guilty of using an online casino or online sportsbook not owned by the tribe would be charged with a first or second-degree misdemeanor.

The Seminole Tribe holds online gambling exclusivity in the state and has operated online sports betting via Hard Rock Bet since December 2023. It has successfully defended in court its right to offer the sole online sports betting platforms via a compact with the state.

Ostensibly, the new pair of bills would seem to reiterat..

MGM Resorts International and BetMGM have expanded their responsible gambling initiatives with an emphasis on providing critical resources, advancing research efforts, and strengthening supports for problem gamblers.

BetMGM is expanding its Kindbridge Behavioural Health referral program across the U.S. with the aim of ensuring players in all of the brand’s markets have direct access to mental health services. It already offered that resource in states including Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.

To coincide with Problem Gambling Awareness Month (PGAM), MGM Resorts is donating $180,000 to the Kindbridge Research Institute to support studies on the impacts of sports betting on consumers, as well as to help develop responsible gaming strategies.

“Responsible gaming is a focal point of our operations, and we will continue to invest in programs that promote player protection and well-being,” said BetMGM’s Chief Compliance Officer Rhea Loney..

Two men’s college basketball players who are under investigation by the NCAA for alleged gambling violations reportedly played in daily fantasy contests involving the team.

According to an ESPN report, former Fresno State basketball player Mykell Robinson allegedly played in DFS contests based on his own performance for several games. Robinson, who was dismissed from the basketball program amid the probe, reportedly entered DFS contests that included his “under” markets for points and rebounds.

Fresno State’s Jalen Weaver is also being investigated for playing in DFS contests.

Weaver admitted to ESPN that he participated in a DFS contest in December 2024 for total points scored in a game against New Mexico. The Colorado native wagered $50 for him to score over 11 points on fantasy app Sleeper. Weaver scored 13 points in the contest.

“I just made a bad decision, and I shouldn’t even have gotten involved with that. Now, I’m obviously paying for it,” Weaver told ESPN. “I bet on a game..

The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) is making a concerted effort to promote Problem Gambling Awareness Month (PGAM).

March 1 marks the beginning of PGAM providing the NCPG with the opportunity to further reduce the stigma of problem gambling while providing access to a slew of resources.

“PGAM is intentionally aligned with the NCAA basketball tournament, a time when gambling is a frequent topic of conversation,” said the NCPG. “March is a prime opportunity for organizations to promote a better understanding of what is and isn’t true about problem gambling. As millions of people engage with the tournament, it offers a unique moment to raise awareness about the risks of gambling, educate the public, and challenge common misconceptions.”

This year, the NCPG is providing a new theme for its annual observance of PGAM. The theme, “Seeking Understanding,” aims to build a public understanding of problem gambling as a mental health condition by overcoming misconceptions to gain i..

YouTube announced on Tuesday that it will no longer permit content that directs users to “unapproved” gambling websites.

In an update posted on March 4, the platform’s team said that as part of an ongoing effort to protect viewers from potentially harmful content, it is strengthening its existing policies related to online gambling content.

YouTube defines unapproved gambling sites as platforms that don’t meet local legal requirements and haven’t been reviewed by YouTube or its parent company Google.

Effective March 19, YouTube will no longer allow non-Google-certified URLs, embedded links, visual displays including logos or verbal references.

“We know this update may impact creators who focus on online gambling content like casino games and applications, but we believe these changes are a necessary step in protecting our community, especially younger viewers,” read the statement.

YouTube spokesperson Boot Bullwinkle added to CNN that it will also begin age-restricting content t..

The Tribal Council for Responsible Gaming and other tribal gaming leaders are launching an all-in-one solution for players to self-exclude across the U.S.

Starting in Wisconsin before expanding to other states, the new Tribal-Wide Self-Exclusion Program was founded by the Council and will allow players to voluntarily shut themselves off from all participating tribal casinos in sovereign nations and territories.

The platform will be powered by idPair, whose self-exclusion software is designed to comply with local regulations, protect tribal sovereignty and effectively serve the needs of communities.

“This initiative reflects our unwavering commitment to the health of our people and communities,” saidIvory Kelly, CEO of the Tribal Council for Responsible Gaming. “By tribes coming together to offer a streamlined process for self-exclusion with a technology partner that shares our values, we help people in our communities who are looking to take a break or stop gambling do so for the am..