SBC Americas - Player Protection Hub

Several states fall short of player protection standards in NCPG report

SBC AmericasSeptember 20, 20240302 views

The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) is evaluating how regulated sports betting markets across the country protect consumers.

The NCPG has released a report, U.S. States’ Online Sports Betting Regulations: An Evaluation Against National Council on Problem Gambling Standards, providing an analysis of how regulated markets adhere to their laws and regulatory frameworks.

The report, prepared by Vixio Regulatory Intelligence, uses public information from states and their regulatory agencies. It does not include data on RG practices by operators.

“This report is the first time that state sports betting laws and regulations have been evaluated against the NCPG’s Internet Responsible Gambling Standards,” said Executive Director Keith Whyte. “With the widespread adoption of legalized sports betting, NCPG felt there was a need for a report comparing sports betting laws and regulations to the IRGS.”

The NCPG’s Internet Responsible Gambling Standards (IRGS) provide guidance in gami..

Regulation outpacing evidence base, according to CGA research

Steve HoareSeptember 19, 20240281 views

Regulatory policies around gambling advertising are evolving at a faster rate than the accompanying evidence base, according to new research from the Canadian Gaming Association (CGA). The CGA has teamed up with GP Consulting and Eilers & Krejcik to publish one of the most comprehensive research papers yet produced around gambling advertising and regulatory intervention.…

SAFE Bet Act wants federal oversight of regulated US sports betting

SBC AmericasSeptember 12, 20240264 views

Rep. Paul Tonko and Sen. Richard Blumenthal announced details of their new Supporting Affordability and Fairness with Every Bet (SAFE) Bet Act during a press conference on Thursday.

Bill would create federal oversight of state-run sports betting

The overarching idea of the bill is to let states continue to regulate and oversee sports betting but to implement a set of federal minimum standards that state regulators and operators need to meet. States would be required to apply to the Department of Justice in order to get the greenlight to run a regulated market.

Those federal standards cover a wide range of topics related to responsible and problem gambling. Unlike Tonko’s previous bill, the Betting on Our Future Act, which sought to ban all electronic advertising of sports betting, this version would allow it, but with several limitations.

The bill would prohibit advertising during primetime hours as well as during live sporting events, implement language restrictions on words like ..

AGA, operator partners unveil new RG Intervention Effectiveness Scale

SBC AmericasSeptember 12, 20240262 views

The American Gaming Association (AGA) is attempting to make it easier to evaluate the effectiveness of responsible gambling messaging with its new Responsible Gaming Intervention Effectiveness Scale (RG-IES).

The AGA, in cooperation with Bally’s, BetMGM and FanDuel, announced the RG-IES on Sept. 11. The scale has been developed by professors Dr. Jonathan Ross Gilbert and Dr. Marla Stafford, whom the AGA and the three operators provided with funding and access to thousands of players to test certain RG messaging.

The scale provides academics, industry members and others interested in responsible gambling with a new, research-based tool they can use to evaluate responsible gaming messages.

“While no single scale or measurement tool can fully capture effectiveness in this area, we believe this new scale is an important starting point in evaluating whether or not a message has the potential to resonate with the public and are grateful to the researchers who led this important effort,” ..

Massachusetts regulators finally hold roundtable on limiting sports bettors

SBC AmericasSeptember 11, 20240256 views

The much-anticipated meeting of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission where the group discussed the practice of limiting bettors was certainly more informative than the first effort.

For starters, every retail and online operator actually showed up, as opposed to a May meeting where they rescinded their participation after they learned they would not be able to discuss what they believed were proprietary secrets about how their trading rooms work.

This time around, the trading team was not particularly well represented, but compliance and counsel for operators appeared to discuss the issue. While they did not go into explicit detail, the group did offer the commissioners several explanations of situations where limiting takes place.

Operators also offered some insight into just how many people were being told they could not bet as much as they wanted.

Operators allege limiting impacts an extremely small population

BetMGM representatives said roughly 1% of Massachusetts patrons had b..

AGA releases new RG messaging evaluation tool

Steve HoareSeptember 11, 20240367 views

The American Gaming Association (AGA) has launched a new Responsible Gaming Intervention Effectiveness Scale to evaluate responsible gambling messages. This scale provides academics, industry members and others interested in positive play with a research-based tool they can use to evaluate responsible gaming messages and serves as a stepping-stone to further research on how to best…

Responsible Online Gaming Association creates college education campaign

SBC AmericasSeptember 10, 20240241 views

The Responsible Online Gaming Association (ROGA) has unveiled a new national college responsible gambling education campaign.

In partnership with EPIC Global Solutions, Kindbridge Behavioral Health and the Toronto-based Responsible Gambling Council (RGC), ROGA will develop and implement a comprehensive, evidence-based program specifically tailored to the unique needs of university-aged students.

The initiative will leverage digital delivery tools to provide responsible gambling and financial literacy education to students across diverse campuses and demographics throughout the U.S.

ROGA is an independent trade association of leading gaming operators. Executive Director Dr. Jennifer Shatley said in a release that while some programs focused on student-athletes already exist, “there are very few resources currently available to the broader university student population.”

“To fill that gap, ROGA is proud to be collaborating with leading organizations that bring diverse expertise and e..

EPIC Global Solutions lands RG partnership with PrizePicks

SBC AmericasSeptember 9, 20240242 views

PrizePicks is leveraging a new partnership to promote responsible gaming.

The Georgia-based daily fantasy sports operator has secured a partnership with gambling harm consultancy EPIC Global Solutions to expand its RG initiatives. As part of the partnership, EPIC will provide educational training for PrizePicks employees on RG measures and how to identify signs of problem gambling and various prevention methods.

The in-depth training will include presentations from EPIC’s team of RG experts.

“At PrizePicks our aim is to set and continuously raise the standard for responsible gaming in the DFS space and we look forward to working with EPIC to strengthen our internal RG resources,” said PrizePicks Senior Director of Responsible Gaming Phil Sherwood. “These educational training sessions will help create safer and more enjoyable experiences that will ultimately improve the gaming ecosystem.”

The partnership will also see EPIC conduct an organizational assessment throughout PrizePicks. ..

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

SBC AmericasSeptember 5, 20240234 views

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..

GLI gives mkodo’s GeoLocs compliance platform seal of approval

SBC AmericasSeptember 4, 20240275 views

Gaming Laboratories International (GLI) has given compliance specialist mkodo‘s GeoLocs geolocation compliance platform its seal of approval via a successful independent assessment.

The comprehensive assessment evaluated GeoLocs’ geolocation verification controls, which ensure that users of online gaming and sportsbook products are physically located within the allowed jurisdictions. GLI thoroughly examined the platform’s performance across different devices, operating systems, and network environments.

GLI found that GeoLocs accurately and effectively identifies user location and prevents access from prohibited regions, as well as detecting and blocking various attempts to bypass geolocation controls. It concluded that there were no geolocation risks identified in the software.

“The assessment of mkodo’s GeoLocs platform was completed with no geolocation risks identified, showcasing the robustness and reliability of the platform,” said GLI Senior Vice President of Quality and Techn..