NCRG Announces New Fund to Support Sports Wagering Research
Fund Supported by Gaming Industry and Key Stakeholders to Advance Responsible Gaming Research
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sept. 19, 2019
CONTACT
Russell A. Sanna, Ph.D.
rsanna@ncrg.org
978-338-6610
WASHINGTON – Today, the National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) announced the launch of the Fund to Support Research on Sports Wagering to competitively award researchers at top tier institutions with the resources needed to uncover novel insights into what the introduction of legalized, regulated sports betting means for public health.
The fund is the first-of-its-kind in the U.S. and is a response to the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn the federal ban on sports betting in May 2018. With legal, regulated sports betting now available to millions more Americans, adding to the available body of research will help to inform innovative policy decisions around sports wagering and responsible gaming practices for this category of bettors.
Donors to the Fund to Support Research on Sports Wagering encompass a diverse range of casino gaming industry and industry-aligned stakeholders, including:
Founding Donors: $100,000+
American Gaming Association
MGM Resorts International
Bronze Donors: $50,000 - $99,999
William Hill US
GVC Holdings PLC
Supporters: $10,000 - $49,999
NASCAR
IGT
Hard Rock International
“The NCRG has long been a catalyst in the field of gaming research. This fund is especially significant because it will open up research in a previously understudied field in the United States – defining what we know about the effects of sports wagering for years to come,” said Dr. Russell Sanna, executive director for the National Center for Responsible Gaming. “With new opportunities for legal sports betting around the country, policymakers, practitioners, the entire industry, and the public will benefit from expanding our knowledge on this issue.”
“This effort is bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders who are committed to ensuring that as legal sports betting options grow, the field is given the care and study consumers deserve to support responsible, healthy gaming practices. These generous contributions will allow the NCRG to conduct research independently and with integrity,” added NCRG Board Chairman Alan Feldman.
Grants applications to the fund will be peer-reviewed before final award decisions are made by NCRG’s independent Scientific Advisory Board, which is comprised of leading researchers across the United States and Canada. The NCRG is planning to release a letter of intent in February 2020 and anticipates accepting the first grant applications in late spring 2020.
“It is important to support seminal scientific research in an emerging and rapidly expanding segment of the American gaming industry,” said NCRG Senior Research Director Christine Reilly. “Because sports wagering was illegal outside of Nevada until only a year ago, we have an obligation to understand its impacts.”
About NCRG
The National Center for Responsible Gaming (NCRG) is the only national organization exclusively devoted to funding independent research that helps increase understanding of gambling disorder and youth gambling and find effective methods of treatment for the disorder. Since 1996, more than $40 million has been committed to the NCRG, through contributions from the commercial and tribal casino gaming industry, equipment manufacturers, vendors, related organizations and individuals. For more information, visit the NCRG.org.
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