North America

Bally’s lands three-year partnership with EPIC Global Solutions

EPIC Global Solutions is partnering with one of America’s largest entertainment and gaming companies.

The London-based gambling harm consultancy has secured a three-year partnership with Bally’s to promote responsible gambling and create a safe and fair environment for players. The two entities will also work together to impact communities.

“Bally’s and EPIC Global Solutions are committed to setting new standards for responsible gaming with a three-year commitment,” said Bally’s CEO Robeson Reeves. “Together, we are creating safer and more enjoyable gaming environments through educating multiple partners in the gaming ecosystem, harnessing the power of EPIC’s lived experience approach in both the U.K. and the U.S.”

As part of the partnership, employees at Bally’s will be provided with training from EPIC that will help staff on casino floors and in customer service roles identify and protect customers who are impacted by gambling harm. Bally’s and EPIC will also create original socia..

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FanDuel’s new ‘Trusted Voices’ program helps families discuss gambling

FanDuel has launched a new program, Trusted Voices: Conversations About Betting, to coincide with September’s Responsible Gaming Education Month.

Trusted Voices is designed to equip trusted adults such as parents, guardians and coaches with tools and resources to talk to young people about gambling, associated risks, how to recognize warning signs and where to go for support.

It is part of a new partnership between FanDuel and former NBA player and basketball coach Randy Livingston and his wife, sports agent Anita Smith. The operator notes that Livingston experienced experienced problem gambling himself. He and Smith have become the newest members of FanDuel’s RG Ambassador Program.

“As legal sports betting continues to become more accessible, I knew I wanted to use my experience to help families engage in proactive and informed conversations about gambling,” said Livingston. “It became apparent to me and Anita that FanDuel shares our goal of helping parents navigate these tough, bu..

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Gambling harassment campaign for athletes launched in Ohio

Ohio for Responsible Gambling is taking steps to protect student-athletes from gambling-related harm.

The initiative has launched More Than A Bet, a new campaign aimed at fostering a safe environment in sports as the online sports betting industry continues to grow.

“The mental toll of online harassment is unacceptable,” said Ohio Casino Control Commission Chairman Tom Stickrath. “By learning about the issue and supporting student-athletes, we can change the narrative.”

The campaign is geared toward student-athletes and coaches and provides resources on how to deal with gambling-related harassment. More Than A Bet also provides educational tools on gambling-related harm for counselors, team officials and campus faculty.

More Than a Bet has a section exclusively geared toward coaches that provides educational tools to combat online abuse toward student-athletes. It also provides users with the opportunity to take an anonymous quiz to gauge their risk for a gambling disorder.

Ohio f..

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BetMGM to promote Responsible Gaming Education Month at NFL stadiums

MGM Resorts International and its joint-venture operator BetMGM are linking up with the American Gaming Association (AGA) to promote Responsible Gaming Education Month (RGEM 2024) in September.

The two companies will display GameSense messaging and resources around numerous NFL stadiums for the second year running. GameSense is an industry-leading responsible gaming program developed and licensed to MGM Resorts in 2017 by the British Columbia Lottery Corporation (BCLC).

GameSense messaging will be promoted prominently at nine NFL stadiums this summer:

Acrisure Stadium (Pittsburgh Steelers)

Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas Raiders)

Empower Field at Mile High (Denver Broncos)

Ford Field (Detroit Lions)

GHEA Field at Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City Chiefs)

M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore Ravens)

MetLife Stadium (New York Jets)

Nissan Stadium (Tennessee Titans)

State Farm Stadium (Arizona Cardinals)

“We’re excited to bring responsible gaming initiatives directly to fans in these NFL v..

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NFL commits another $6.4m to National Council on Problem Gambling

Three years after its first $6.1 million donation to the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG), the NFL is committing an even bigger donation to the group.

NCPG will use funds for Agility Grants, 1-800-GAMBLER

The NFL is donating an additional $6.4 million to the organization. The funds will help to continue the NCPG Agility Grant program, which gives money to help support education and research in underserved communities when it comes to problem gambling. Universities such as Towson and Ohio State have been recipients of Agility Grants, as has The Hispanic Urban Minority Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Outreach Program in Cleveland, OH.

Some of the funds will also go to “modernizing and strengthening” the 1-800-GAMBLER helpline.

“We are profoundly grateful for the NFL’s renewed investment in NCPG, which will enable us to grow the essential prevention, education and awareness initiatives that were established through their initial grant,” said NCPG Executive Director Keith Whyte. “..

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Ontario picks IC360 and IXUP to develop centralised self-exclusion system

iGaming Ontario has selected a joint bid by Integrity Compliance 360 and IXUP to develop a centralised self-exclusion system for Ontario, “designed to support players’ decisions to self-exclude while also protecting their privacy”.

Work on the centralised self-exclusion system for the Canadian province will begin immediately, with iGO, IC360 and IXUP collaborating closely with igaming operators and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation.

The system will allow players to self-exclude from all Ontario-regulated igaming sites at once, including OLG.ca, adding another protection layer under the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario’s Registrar’s Standards for Internet Gaming, protecting players from experiencing gambling harm and support their decision to take a break from online gambling.

IC360 and IXUP will develop a system that integrates seamlessly with all regulated Ontario igaming operators’ systems; provides anyone 19+ with easy access to create and manage their self-exclu..

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Massachusetts regulators continue to discuss the practice of limiting bettors

The five commissioners of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission remain committed to examining the practice of sportsbooks limiting bettors. However, a meeting on Thursday resulted in more talk and no action on the matter.

The discussion follows a May meeting where Bally Bet was the only operator to appear as part of a roundtable discussion on the matter. The other operators in the state declined to participate unless they were granted the opportunity to speak in private executive session about their limiting practices.

MA commissioners want actual action, not just talk

The commissioners were eager to hear from operators but were not interested in convening another round table unless operators were willing to have substantive discussions about how they go about limiting bettors.

“It’s hard for me to believe that the operators don’t have an opinion on this policy decision that we may or may not make,” said Interim Chair Jordan Maynard.

Commissioner Nakisha Skinner warned that this di..

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BetBlocker, Caesars and IGT among winners of NCPG Awards

The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) announced the winners of its 2024 National Awards last week, with BetBlocker, Caesars, IGT, Wisconsin Lottery and a host of others all reaching the top of the podium. Each year, NCPG honours individuals and organisations from around the world for their work on problem gambling and responsible gambling. …

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Alabama baseball scandal leads to prison sentence for former player Neff

Bert Neff has been sentenced to prison for his role in a gambling scandal that led to the firing of the former head coach of Alabama’s baseball program, Brad Bohannon.

According to court documents obtained from the U.S. District for the Northern District of Alabama, Neff has been sentenced to eight months in prison and three years of supervised release after pleading guilty in February to one count of obstruction of justice. The Indiana native was handed the sentence after betting at Great American Ballpark.

Last April, Neff attempted to place a $100,000 wager at BetMGM’s retail sportsbook in Cincinnati after being provided with insider information about the Alabama baseball team from Bohannon. Neff attempted to place the wager on Alabama’s opponent, LSU, but was limited to $15,000 by BetMGM staff who flagged the bet as suspicious. According to court documents, Bohannon told Neff to bet against Alabama.

As a result, Alabama fired Bohannon but he has yet to be charged in the case. A..

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