North America

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. “..

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..

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. …

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..

Sports media and entertainment company Pro League Network (PLN) has partnered with behavioral health provider Birches Health to boost its responsible gambling initiatives and problem gambling prevention.

Birches Health focuses on increasing access to responsible gaming resources and problem gambling treatment. The companies say that their new union aims to ensure that wagering on PLN sports is done in a healthy, sustainable manner via the use of clinician-led educational materials and support resources.

Birches Health will provide PLN’s 500,000+ subscribers with comprehensive virtual support including easy access to online solutions that encourage responsible gaming best practices through direct integrations. Birches also offers resources including digital education, interactive learning modules and accessible treatment options.

“We strongly believe in responsible gaming and this is another important step in that direction,” said Pro League Network Co-Founder and Partner, Mike Salva..

While many people would say the first few years of widespread legalized sports betting in the United States since the repeal of the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act (PASPA) have been a near-universal success, famed professional bettor Billy Walters is not one of them.

Speaking to a room of lawmakers and regulators at last week’s National Council of Legislators from Gaming States (NCLGS) conference, Walters was highly critical of several aspects of the industry ranging from fairness to transparency to revenue to taxation.

Walters is arguably the most famous sports bettor in the country. Last year, his biography Gambler was a New York Times best seller.

Walters claims legalizing sports betting was done without experts

Like many other gamblers, Walters had high hopes for legalization, something he has longed for for some time.

“I wanted to see sports betting legalized. I want to see it regulated. I wanted to see the criminal element out of it. I wanted to see jobs creat..

The University of Georgia football program is responding to an NCAA violation related to sports betting.

According to an Athens Banner-Herald report, an unnamed former football staffer at Georgia has been relieved of their duties for violating NCAA gambling rules by wagering on pro sports. The staffer was cited for a Level III violation by the NCAA after placing the bets in August 2020 but the wagers were not flagged for suspicious activity until last year.

The NCAA’s Level III violations, which are not new to Georgia football, are considered isolated and not widespread issues. In 2022, the program self-reported an improper real-money wager by a player on a fantasy sports platform. NCAA gambling rules ban wagering by all players, coaches, and team officials on events sponsored by the organization.

The staffer is required to adhere to certain standards if hired by another SEC institution.

“If the staff member is hired by another SEC institution in the future the staff member is req..