SBC Americas

PrizePicks picks Mindway’s brain for AI problem gaming detection

Fantasy sports operator and approved prediction market participant PrizePicks has partnered with Mindway AI to lean on the Danish company’s automatic detection and monitoring technology.

The Atlanta, GA-based company will integrate Mindway’s software directly into its platform in a partnership it said will greatly boost its ability to detect and respond to potential problem gaming behaviors.

Mindway AI offers fully automatic detection and monitoring of at-risk and problem gambling behavior, as well as providing operators and its other partners with intervention solutions to enhance player protection. PrizePicks will use Mindway’s GameScanner tool to proactively identify nuanced player patterns that may signal increasingly risky gaming, such as shifts towards more frequent play, increased session frequency or accelerated spending.

“Partnering with Mindway marks a meaningful evolution in how we support player protection,” said PrizePicks Senior Director of Responsible Gaming Phil Sher..

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New York lawmaker proposes banning sportsbooks from limiting sharps

A New York Assemblymember wants to tackle the issue of sportsbooks limiting bettors in the state legislature.

Democrat Asm. Alex Bores filed A9125 on Sept. 26. The bill aims to prevent sports betting operators from limiting the size and frequency of deposits or bets made by authorized sports bettors, or from banning them based on their success rate.

The bill, which has been referred to the Committee on Racing and Wagering, would amend state law to stipulate that sportsbooks cannot limit or kick out users because said user obtains financial benefit from their wagering activity.

Exemptions would be made when it is deemed that betting activity constituted suspicious wagering activity or suggests that the bettor may have a gambling disorder, as defined in state law.

In addition, whenever an authorized sports bettor is limited or banned, the operator would have to provide written notice to the bettor within 24 hours to explain the reasoning behind and the nature and parameters of the li..

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MA regulators take steps to require books to notify limited bettors

The Massachusetts Gaming Commission (MGC) continues to be the most proactive regulator when it comes to learning more about the practive of sportsbooks limiting bettors.

The group held a meeting on Tuesday to discuss its findings after asking for operators to provide data related to how often bettors were being limited.

MGC data analysis concluded very few bettors being limited

The data largely corroborated testimony the operators provided to the MGC a year ago, which is that limiting is something that happens to a fraction of a percent of bettors.

The data did indicate that those bettors who consistently won were more likely to have their betting limits lowered and were less likely to be included in a sportsbook’s VIP program.

Averaging the data from the seven online sportsbooks in the state, the MGC determined that 0.64% of bettors in Massachusetts were limited. The majority of those bettors (57.6%) were limited to between 1-24% of the default maximum bet on a app. However, 12..

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States highlight own problem gambling services amid 1-800-GAMBLER transition

As the 1-800-GAMBLER problem gambling helpline changes hands as a result of a court order on Monday, state gaming regulators and problem gambling support groups hope to minimize the disruption to services.

A New Jersey judge ruled that the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) must cease using the number or mark as of Sept. 29, leaving it in the exclusive control Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey (CCGNJ), who has owned the number since the 1980s.

A different beast in 2025?

While CCGNJ Executive Director Luis Del Orbe told SBC Americas that the New Jersey council is sure it can pick up where it left off and run the helpline across the U.S., the NCPG maintained in court and in public that it greatly expanded 1-800-GAMBLER over the last three years.

These days, the 1-800-GAMBLER network handles thousands of calls, texts and online messages every month and routes them to 28 contact centers around the country.

Business as usual, say some

While some states like Massach..

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Addabbo adamant that insurance should cover gambling treatment costs

New York is the biggest sports betting market in the U.S. by a considerable margin. More than $16 billion in wagers have been placed on sports in the Empire State since the start of 2025 alone, close to double the total of the next-closest state.

As the market continues to grow in New York, not to mention the continuing efforts to legalize online casino and the plans for more land-based casinos in New York City, a prominent state senator wants to ensure insurance providers step up to the plate.

Sen. Joseph Addabbo filed Senate Bill S8352 this June, a measure that would mandate by law that insurance policies that provide medical or comprehensive coverage also cover outpatient services related to diagnosing and treating problem gambling. Addabbo’s bill would put gambling addiction on the same insurance footing as substance use disorder treatment, such as detoxification and rehabilitation.

“As we expand gaming in New York, whether it be mobile sports betting expansion or even the bigge..

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Government not combating military gambling disorders, says auditor

A new report from the supreme auditor agency for the federal government has warned that not enough is being done to prevent and protect against military members suffering gambling problems.

A report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) published Sept. 22 provided recommendations for the Department of Defense (DOD) after finding that updated guidance for treating military gambling problems is not being adequately implemented.

The GAO noted that the DOD revised its instructions on substance use to include gambling disorder in January and outlined steps the department and military services should take to help tackle the issue.

However, it determined that the guidance did not properly identify which parties should be responsible for implementing the guidance, leading to a gap between theory and practice.

“The instruction does not identify a party responsible for implementation of certain tasks such as designating staff who will be trained to prevent, assess, diagnose and tr..

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Underdog first US gaming operator to adopt Sportradar’s RG AI tool

Underdog has become the first U.S. gaming operator to sign on to use Bettor Sense, the AI-powered responsible gaming tool offered by Sportradar.

Through a new partnership announced Sept. 24, Underdog will integrate the player protection and well-being program. Bettor Sense, which Sportradar launched in July of this year, identifies high-risk players exhibiting problem gambling behavior. It also offers Underdog users access to care services from evidence-based treatment provider Birches Health.

Sportradar says that this results in a comprehensive approach that meets the industry’s rising expectations of how operators protect their players. The idea is to allow online gaming companies to take a proactive approach to detecting early signs of gambling-related risk and facilitate personalized interventions to protect users.

Bettor Sense allows operators to efficiently monitor players via continuous tracking, real-time risk score checks and clear analysis of player profiles to identify a..

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NJ court orders NCPG to cease using 1-800-GAMBLER helpline

The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) has been ordered by a New Jersey Superior Court judge to stop using the 1-800-GAMBLER phone number and mark anywhere in the U.S. by Sept. 29.

Judge Douglas H. Hurd determined on Mondaythat the non-profit Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey (CCGNJ) has the sole right to run the national problem gambling helpline, as it did from the resource’s initial launch in 1983 until 2022. The CCGNJ licensed it to the NCPG in 2022 in a three-year agreement that expired May 31, 2025.

NCPG tried to extend agreement past original deal terms

The NCPG alleged in court filings that it attempted to activate an option to extend that deal and asserted that the two councils’ contract mandated that the dispute be resolved through arbitration. It filed for a temporary restraining order (TRO) against the CCGNJ to prevent the hotline from being shut down until the dispute was resolved in court, and was granted a TRO in July, pending Monday’s hearing.

I..

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Birches Health raises $20m to support gambling addiction treatment

Birches Health received a fresh injection of capital, allowing the behavioral healthcare company to scale infrastructure and secure partnerships nationwide.

The provider of specialized treatment for gambling addiction announced the closing of seed and Series A funding rounds worth a combined $20 million. The rounds both received contributions from global investment firms. Birches Health’s seed funding round was led by General Catalyst and included Will Ventures, California-based VC firm Haystack, and defy.vc. The seed round was closed in 2023. The Series A, closed in August, was led by AlleyCorp with contributions from Birches Health’s exiting investors.

“Gambling addiction is so often seen as a personal failing or a financial issue rather than the behavioral addiction that it is,” said Birches Health board member Dr. Martin Rosenzweig. “Birches has developed a much-needed evidence-based clinical solution with a unique program acuity matched to the needs of the individual in the com..

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UNLV gaming institute names second round of ESPN Research Fellows

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) International Gaming Institute (IGI) has announced the second round of annual ESPN Research Fellows.

ESPN partnered with UNLV in late 2023, signing on as the founding donor of new research leveraging the IGI’s knowledge to develop a program supporting responsible gaming policies and related education and implementation. Last year, the IGI launched the inaugural ESPN Research Fellowship initiative, recognizing educators for their responsible gambling-related projects.

UNLV noted that this year’s group of scholars have put forth proposals aimed at advancing the understanding of responsible gambling messaging in sports media and its implications for consumer well-being.

The class of 2025 consists of:

Dr. Brandon Mastromartino, director of the Institute on Sports Wagering and Gaming and assistant professor of experiential marketing at the L. Robert Payne School of Hospitality and Tourism Management at San Diego State University. His project wi..

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