SBC Americas

The NCAA teamed up with Signify to study online abuse sparked by sports betting.

Signify and the NCAA used the 2025 men’s and women’s basketball tournaments to identify and study targeted online abuse directed at student-athletes, coaches, officials and committee members. Signify leveraged its Threat Matrix artificial intelligence service to monitor public comments directed at the social media accounts of 2,032 players and 346 coaches. Signify also monitored 136 teams and 269 officials and committee members.

“One of the first things student-athletes told me when I became NCAA president was that they were being harassed online by people who are following or betting on their games,” said NCAA President Charlie Baker. “From day one, it’s been a priority to study this issue, monitor the public interactions, protect student-athletes and allow them to focus on being students and competing at the highest level on the court with their teammates.”

Signify and the NCAA analyzed more than 1 mi..

New York State Sen. Joseph Addabbo introduced a new piece of legislation aimed at providing problem gambling prevention and treatment services to players.

Addabbo introduced Senate Bill S8352 on Wednesday as a measure requiring insurance companies to provide problem gambling services. The bill amends New York’s existing insurance law to require insurance policies that provide medical or similar coverage to offer outpatient coverage for the diagnoses and treatment of problem gambling.

Addabbo has filed his latest bill as he anticipates an increase in New Yorkers seeking help for problem gambling as the gaming industry continues to diversify across the country.

Under current New York law, insurance providers are not required to cover problem treatment offered by the New York State Office of Addiction Services and Supports (OASAS). Problem gambling treatment is only covered if the person has an associated substance use disorder. The office oversees more than 1,500 addiction prevention ..

The International Center for Responsible Gaming (ICRG) has partnered with America’s most popular professional sports league.

On Wednesday, the ICRG announced it reached a deal with the NFL to address the impact of gambling behaviors on college athletes and students. As part of the pact, the NFL Foundation is donating $600,000 over three years to fund research on the risk factors and impact of gambling on college athletes and students. The research, led by the ICRG, will help identify strategies to reduce gambling-related harm through education and policy.

The research will focus on how college students interact with gambling platforms.

“The NFL has once again demonstrated its commitment to player and fan protection by supporting this critical research targeting young adults,” said ICRG President Arthur Paikowsky. “The NFL and ICRG together will make a meaningful contribution to understanding and implementing policies and programs that support a safer gambling environment.”

The NFL ..

The Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA), an association of leading online sportsbooks, has published a new set of guidelines for how operators should approach VIP programs.

ROGA noted that the evidence-based recommendations are intended to support its members’ existing VIP policies to strengthen responsible online gaming by helping players set their own boundaries.

ROGA was launched in March 2024 and comprises eight members: FanDuel, DraftKings, BetMGM, Fanatics, PENN Entertainment, bet365, Hard Rock Digital and Bally’s. The association noted those companies combine to account for 90% of the legal U.S. online gaming market by handle.

The member sportsbooks have all independently committed to implementing these guidelines “within a commercially reasonable timeframe.”

Review behavior, equip VIPs with knowledge and power

The organization noted that it has found that the most effective VIP programs combine proactive education, personalized engagement and periodic evaluation. ..