ESPN and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) have announced a collaboration for better sports betting practices and media impact analysis.
ESPN will be a founding donor of this program and will work with UNLV’s International Gaming Institute (IGI) to study, educate and advise on all things related to sports betting.
ESPN Bet is scheduled to launch later today, in partnership with Penn Entertainment.
IGI executive director Brett Abarbanel commented on the collaboration: “We are thrilled to have ESPN’s support for research, education, and innovation in the responsible, sustainable representation of sports betting in the media,”
“The growth of betting and gambling subjects in US media have exploded in the past five years. So, too, have calls for extended research and thought leadership alongside this proliferation of content.
"ESPN is a market leader in sports media, and collaboratively we will advance local, national, and global discussions on sports, while also establishing UNLV’s IGI as the academic hub for thought leadership in this important area.”
ESPN is investing $200,000 into the program, with the key focuses of it being to: enhance responsible gambling, develop evidence-based insights, responsible marketing practices, creating responsible gambling program parameters and educating industry leaders.
Vice President of ESPN Corporate Citizenship, Kevin Martinez, added: "ESPN is proud to support this initiative at UNLV.
"Our investment reflects our commitment to ensuring that the world of sports betting is not only entertaining but also responsible. We are eager to work alongside UNLV's International Gaming Institute in advancing industry standards."
