North America

The Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA) is launching a certification program that will allow operators to continue adhering to responsible gaming standards.

ROGA has announced the launch of a Request for Proposal (RFP) process aimed at developing a certification program for online operators that want to ensure their players are offered protection from gambling-related harm. It also aims to keep gaming recreational.

The RPG process will provide operators with a comprehensive framework for RG by providing standards for employee training, self-exclusive and corporate policies.

“This step marks a significant milestone in our mission to build an organization that provides valuable resources to promote responsible gaming,” said ROGA Executive Director Dr. Jennifer Shatley. “I’m excited by the release of this RFP as it demonstrates our commitment to offer operators in this growing industry a program that assesses policies and responsible gaming support mechanisms, exclusion protoc..

New Hampshire lawmakers heard from the state’s lottery director and gambling health advocates from neighboring Massachusetts on Tuesday about a proposal to cut 18-to-20-year-olds out of sports betting.

At a House Ways and Means Committee hearing on Jan. 21, Rep. Sally Fellows presented HB 83, which would raise the state’s minimum legal sports wagering age from 18 to 21.

Per New Hampshire Lottery financials, 18-to-20-year-olds wagered more than $14 million in FY 24, providing around $639,000 in revenue to the state.

New Hampshire is one of a small handful of regulated sports betting states that allows people as young as 18 to bet.

Argument hinged largely on young men’s brains

Fellows stressed that research shows that 18-to-20-year-old males are more likely than mature adults to engage in risky behaviors because their cognitive ability to evaluate the consequences of their actions has not completely developed.

She also pointed to the dangers of cellphone addiction among younger d..

ESPN has begun a new campaign focused on promoting responsible gaming practices around sports betting.

“The Talk” intends to educate ESPN Bet users and ESPN’s wider audience about how to gamble on sports smartly and protect themselves from the risks of problem betting.

The campaign features two creative spots, each featuring a SportsCenter anchor. A spot led by Elle Duncan will debut on Jan. 21 across ESPN platforms during the TGL golf league broadcast, while another featuring Gary Striewski is set to air later in 2025.

ESPN said in a release that “The Talk” uses humor and is inspired by heart-to-heart conversations within families. It will include the 1-800-GAMBLER hotline and direct viewers to a dedicated landing page, ESPN.com/smartplay, that offers additional tools and resources to help fans understand what smart betting looks like and to help them have meaningful conversations about responsible betting.

“At ESPN, we believe it’s our responsibility to help sports fans understa..

The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) Board of Directors has announced the departure of Keith Whyte from his position as Executive Director after 26 years in the role. Whyte left the role last week (January 13) for a new career as a responsible gambling consultant. “After more than 26 years as Executive Director of…

EPIC Global Solutions has agreed to a landmark deal with a NCAA Division III conference.

The London-based gambling harm consultancy has reached an agreement with the Presidents’ Athletic Conference (PAC) making the conference the first DIII conference to offer a gambling harm education program through EPIC. The agreement, which includes an initial six-month consultancy period, will provide education on sports betting issues to student-athletes and staff, including athletic directors, from all PAC member schools.

“Since sports betting became legal and so accessible online, the PAC and administrators in our conference have been searching for a way to educate our student-athletes and staff about the potential dangers of online gambling,” said PAC Commissioner Joe Onderko. “This partnership with EPIC Global Solutions will help provide our conference schools with the tools to help our athletes be better informed about possible issues that can be brought on by online gambling.”

EPIC will ..

Pennsylvania regulators have voted down a proposal that would have given self-excluding gamblers an easier path to return to state casinos, citing relapse concerns.

The proposed Regulation #125-250 would have modified the state’s self-exclusion removal process for land-based casinos to bring it in line with other forms of gambling such as online gaming, fantasy sports betting and retail video gaming terminals.

Currently, self-imposed bans for players in those latter categories automatically end after a certain time period. the user can select to be excluded for one year, five years or for life. In contrast, self-excluding players at casinos must manually remove themselves from the prohibited list after their one- or five-year exclusion terms are over.

The proposal to automatically end self-exclusion bans for casino gamblers was originally approved by the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board (PGCB) in August 2024 but received stern criticism and negative feedback during a public commen..

Kindbridge Behavioral Health is combining its mental health and problem gambling expertise with Mindway AI‘s technology capabilities in a bid to help to identify and support at-risk gamblers.

Danish company Mindway AI’s data and technology identifies gamblers at risk, and the new partnership will connect those individuals with Kindbridge’s telehealth services to ensure they get mental health support.

Kindbridge Founder and CEO Daniel Umfleet noted that Mindway AI offers the ability to detect behavioral triggers and risk patterns and combine them into a player risk score that provides a useful tool for predicting harm to gamblers. By using this approach, Kindbridge can intervene earlier as needed and deliver timely and effective support that is tailored to specific players’ habits and needs.

“This collaboration brings together Mindway AI’s cutting-edge detection technology with Kindbridge’s expertise in telehealth services to create a robust pipeline for identifying and supporting at..

An NCAA student-athlete is reportedly under federal investigation for allegedly manipulating the outcome of games and wagering on his own team.

According to an ESPN report, former Temple University men’s basketball player Hysier Miller is being investigated by federal authorities following irregular betting activity ahead of a March contest. The game was against the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Prior to tip-off, U.S. Integrity received alerts from multiple operators regarding irregular line movement and suspicious betting patterns. The irregular line movement saw the point spread change by six points, a drastic and unusual line movement for college basketball.

As a result of the irregularities, several operators stopped taking action on the game.

The line moved from -2 in favor of UAB to -8 hours before the contest. UAB would go on to win the game 100-72. Miller finished the contest with eight points and one rebound.

During the 2024 American Athletic Conference tournament ..

The Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA) has formed an advisory committee that it says will play an important role in its mission to drive evidence-based responsible gaming best practices for the U.S. gaming industry.

ROGA is an independent trade association formed earlier this year. It consists of eight major U.S. online gaming companies: Bally’s, bet365, BetMGM, DraftKings, Fanatics Betting and Gaming, FanDuel, Hard Rock Digital and PENN Entertainment.

The newly formed advisory committee is made up of members selected based on their outstanding achievements, strong reputation and experience in the responsible gaming field.

The committee will advise members and the wider industry and provide insight on topics such as industry and regulatory concerns, best practices, consumer behavior, research developments and the impact of new and existing technology. It will provide vital insight as ROGA develops its priority initiatives, including the creation of an independent data cle..